A Braille-based mobile communication and translation glove for deaf-blind people

Deafblind people are excluded from most forms of communication and information. This paper suggests a novel approach to support the communication and interaction of deaf- blind individuals, thus fostering their independence. It includes a smart glove that translates the Braille alphabet, which is used almost universally by the literate deafblind population, into text and vice versa, and communicates the message via SMS to a remote contact. It enables user to convey simple messages by capacitive touch sensors as input sensors placed on the palmer side of the glove and converted to text by the PC/mobile phone. The wearer can perceive and interpret incoming messages by tactile feedback patterns of mini vibrational motors on the dorsal side of the glove. The successful implementation of real-time two- way translation between English and Braille, and communication of the wearable device with a mobile phone/PC opens up new opportunities of information exchange which were hitherto un-available to deafblind individuals, such as remote communication, as well as parallel one-to many broadcast. The glove also makes communicating with laypersons without knowledge of Braille possible, without the need for trained interpreters.