UG student awarded for designing, building American Sign Language translator glove

Josiah Cossiah, a recent graduate of the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology [Photo: University of Guyana]

Josiah Cossiah, who designed and built a cost-effective and portable American Sign Language (ASL) translator glove, was recently awarded the ‘Best Innovative Project’ by the University of Guyana.

A press release from the University said that Cossiah recently graduated, having read for a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

The release noted that he was always passionate about helping people facing certain challenges in their lives.

The ASL translator glove can interpret hand signs and motions and convert them into text and speech.

The ASL Glove designed by Cossiah

According to Cossiah, communication barriers between deaf-mute individuals and the hearing population persist due to the limited knowledge of sign language amongst the latter, and “this disconnect results in misunderstandings, frustration, isolation, and societal exclusion for the deaf-mute community.”

Cossiah explained, “The objective of the project was to create a translator that covers all ASL alphabet letters while maintaining affordability and portability. The glove's functionality is straightforward: the user wears the glove and performs sign language gestures. The glove incorporates five flex sensors, whose resistance increases as it bends, which is used to track the movement of each finger and an MPU 6050 which tracks orientation of the hand.”

After deciding on what solution would be used, Cossiah worked on designing and carrying out a simulation of the circuit. He explained that once the physical assembly of the glove was finished, it was time to map the different hand signs of the alphabet. This was done by wearing the glove, forming the different signs, and recording the sensor data from each sign formed.

“I remembered there was a past student who did a robotic prosthetic arm, and I decided I would do an ankle. I wanted to continue down the same path of helping persons with disabilities. It was fun and, at times, stressful because it was my first time doing something this complex,” the proud Cossiah said.