More than 30 million people around the globe have speech impairments and rely on sign language for daily communication. To eliminate the barrier that comes with communicating with non-sign language users, Roy Allela has invented a glove that converts sign language into spoken words.

Sign-IO, the glove, recognizes various sign letters. When signed wearing the glove, the letters are sent to an Android app on the user’s phone where they are vocalized. The user can also set the language, gender, and pitch of the voice from the app. Different people sign differently. Some sign slow, while others really fast. Sign-IO takes all that into consideration.

Roy invented Sign-IO out of necessity. His niece was born deaf and it was extremely difficult for her to communicate with her family because none of her family members knew sign language.  He plans to complete this glove by her third birthday so she could customize the glove with Cinderella, Batman or any other designs. It will be a cool accessory for her!

The current version of the glove looks like this:

The general Kenyan public doesn’t understand sign language, and his niece has to have a translator every time she goes out. Roy aims to put at least two pairs of gloves in every special needs school in Kenya.

Watch the video below to learn more about Roy’s project, and visit his website to learn technical details of Sign-IO.

Source: Business Insider by Pulse, All Africa, Roy Allela