‘Can you see me now?’ Sign language over cell phones comes to United States courtesy of the University of Washington

A group at the University of Washington has developed software that for the first time enables deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans to use sign language over a mobile phone. UW engineers got the phones working together this spring, and recently received a National Science Foundation grant for a 20-person field project that will begin next year in Seattle.

This is the first time two-way real-time video communication has been demonstrated over cell phones in the United States. Since posting a video of the working prototype on YouTube, deaf people around the country have been writing on a daily basis.

"A lot of people are excited about this," said principal investigator Eve Riskin, a UW professor of electrical engineering.

The video is posted at http://youtube.com/watch?v=FaE1PvJwI8E.

Hannah Hickey [email protected]

Full Story: http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=43397