660 research outputs found

    PARLOMA – A Novel Human-Robot Interaction System for Deaf-blind Remote Communication

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    Deaf-blindness forces people to live in isolation. Up to now there is no existing technological solution enabling two (or many) Deaf-blind persons to communicate remotely among them in tactile Sign Language (t-SL). When resorting to t-SL, Deaf-blind persons can communicate only with persons physically present in the same place, because they are required to reciprocally explore their hands to exchange messages. We present a preliminary version of PARLOMA, a novel system to enable remote communication between Deaf-blind persons. It is composed of a low-cost depth sensor as the only input device, paired with a robotic hand as output device. Essentially, any user can perform handshapes in front of the depth sensor. The system is able to recognize a set of handshapes that are sent over the web and reproduced by an anthropomorphic robotic hand. PARLOMA can work as a “telephone” for Deaf-blind people. Hence, it will dramatically improve life quality of Deaf-blind persons. PARLOMA has been designed in strict collaboration with the main Italian Deaf-blind associations, in order to include end-users in the design phase

    Robotic Fingerspelling Hand for Deaf-Blind Communication

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    Robotic fingerspelling hand for the deaf-blind. The hand forms the shapes of the American Manual Alphabet with 11 servos. The project was sponsored by The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Reaserch Institute

    Building Intelligent Communication Systems for Handicapped Aphasiacs

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    This paper presents an intelligent system allowing handicapped aphasiacs to perform basic communication tasks. It has the following three key features: (1) A 6-sensor data glove measures the finger gestures of a patient in terms of the bending degrees of his fingers. (2) A finger language recognition subsystem recognizes language components from the finger gestures. It employs multiple regression analysis to automatically extract proper finger features so that the recognition model can be fast and correctly constructed by a radial basis function neural network. (3) A coordinate-indexed virtual keyboard allows the users to directly access the letters on the keyboard at a practical speed. The system serves as a viable tool for natural and affordable communication for handicapped aphasiacs through continuous finger language input

    ROBOTIC FINGERSPELLING HAND FOR THE DEAF-BLIND

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    Because communication has always been difficult for people who are deaf-blind, The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute (SKERI), in conjunction with the California Polytechnic State University Mechanical Engineering department, has commissioned the design, construction, testing, and programming of a robotic hand capable of performing basic fingerspelling to help bridge the communication gap. The hand parts were modeled using SolidWorks and fabricated using an Objet rapid prototyper. Its fingers are actuated by 11 Maxon motors, and its wrist is actuated by 2 Hitec servo motors. The motors are controlled by Texas Instruments L293D motor driver chips, ATtiny2313 slave microcontroller chips programmed to act as motor controllers, and a master ATmega644p microcontroller. The master controller communicates with a computer over a USB cable to receive sentences typed by a sighted user. The master controller then translates each letter into its corresponding hand gesture in the American Manual Alphabet and instructs each motor controller to move each finger joint into the proper position

    A Low-cost Open Source 3D-Printable Dexterous Anthropomorphic Robotic Hand with a Parallel Spherical Joint Wrist for Sign Languages Reproduction

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    We present a novel open-source 3D-printable dexterous anthropomorphic robotic hand specifically designed to reproduce Sign Languages' hand poses for deaf and deaf-blind users. We improved the InMoov hand, enhancing dexterity by adding abduction/adduction degrees of freedom of three fingers (thumb, index and middle fingers) and a three-degrees-of-freedom parallel spherical joint wrist. A systematic kinematic analysis is provided. The proposed robotic hand is validated in the framework of the PARLOMA project. PARLOMA aims at developing a telecommunication system for deaf-blind people, enabling remote transmission of signs from tactile Sign Languages. Both hardware and software are provided online to promote further improvements from the community

    Ephphatha, September – October 1989

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    A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Newark, N

    The Virginia Teacher, Vol. 4, Iss. 1, January 1923

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    Design and fabrication of flexible tactile sensing and feedback interface for communication by deafblind people

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    Humans generally interact and communicate using five basic sensory modalities and mainly through vision, touch and audio. However, this does not work for deafblind people as they have both impaired hearing and vision modalities, and hence rely on touch-sensing. This necessitates the development of alternative means that allows them to independently interact and communicate. To do this requires a solution which has the capability for tactile sensing and feedback. Therefore, tactile interface becomes a critical component of any assistive device usable by deafblind people for interaction and communication. Given that existing solutions mainly use rigid and commercial components, there is a need to tap into the advancements in flexible electronics in order develop more effective and conformable solutions. This research involves the development of flexible tactile communication interface usable in assistive communication devices for deafblind people. First, commercial sensors and actuators were utilised as a proof-of-concept and then four novel tactile interfaces were explored which include two similar touch-sensitive electromagnetic actuators, one capacitive tactile sensing array, and a facile flexible inductance-based pressure sensor. The two fabricated touch-sensitive electromagnetic actuators (Type 1 and 2) are both based on electromagnetic principle and capable of simultaneous tactile sensing and feedback. Each comprises of a tandem combination of two main modules - the touch-sensing and the actuation module, with both modules integrated as a single device in each case. The actuation module employs a flexible planar spiral coil and a Neodymium magnet assembled in a soft Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structure, while the touch-sensing module is a planar capacitive metal- insulator-metal structure of copper. The flexible coil (~17µm thick and with 45 turns) was fabricated on a Polyimide sheet using Lithographie Galvanoformung Abformung (LIGA) process. The results of characterisation of these actuators at frequencies ranging from 10Hz to 200Hz, shows a maximum displacement (~ 190µm) around 40Hz. Evaluation of this by 40 (20 deafblind and 20 sighted and hearing) participants show that they can feel vibration at this range. Another tactile interface fabricated is an 8 x 8 capacitive tactile sensing array. The sensor was developed on a flexible Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) sheet with column electrodes deposited on one side and row electrodes on the reverse side. It is intended for use as an assistive tactile communication interface for deafblind people who communicate using deafblind manual alphabets as well as the English block letters. An inductance-based pressure sensor was also designed, fabricated and characterised for use as an input interface for finger Braille as well as other tactile communication methods for deafblind people. It was realised with a soft ferromagnetic elastomer and a 17µm-thick coil fabricated on a flexible 50 µm-thick polyimide sheet. The ferromagnetic elastomer acts as the core of the coil, which when pressed, sees the metal particles moving closer to each other, leading to changes in the inductance. The coil, with 75µm conductor and 25µm pitch, was also realised using LIGA micromolding technique. Seven different sensors were fabricated using different ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:5, 2:1, 3:1, and 5:1) of Ecoflex to Iron particles. The performance of each sensor was investigated and generally, sensors with higher Iron particles gave better sensitivity, linear as well as dynamic range. In comparison with all other fabricated sensors, the sensor made with 1:5DD was recommended for application as a tactile interface

    GlovePi: un device wearable a supporto della comunicazione many-to-many tra utenti sordo-ciechi

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    Questa tesi presenta la progettazione e l'implementazione di un sistema assistivo low cost ed open-source sfruttando un device wearable per supportare la comunicazione sociale aptica tra persone affette da sordocecità, utilizzando una specifica codifica: l'alfabeto Malossi. Inoltre, dopo un'attenta analisi dello stato del'arte nella quale si è evinta una necessità ancora da esplorare, il progetto è stato espanso per favorire la comunicazione sociale aptica many-to-many in ambito distribuito. Appoggiandosi ad uno scenario di riferimento, ovvero la conferenza, è stata progettata un'architettura in tal senso facendo riferimento a TuCSoN, tecnologia già consolidata. Infine, sono stati effettuati test sulle performance e sull'usabilità del guanto

    SALT, 2003-2004

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    SALT telling Maine stories. Published by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Number 57 / 58. 2003-2004. Staying on. A Dexter story after the Shoe. A sheep farmer uses only salt water and sunlight for her wool. Veterans speak from the edgy shadows of their memories. Contents 3 Staying On by Terry Farish 4 Uphill Either Way by Carrie Kilman, photographs by Jenifer Dean. T-Bob’s Taxi—A Dexter story after The Shoe. 18 James at Risk photo essay by Lesley MacVane. A 16-year old boy at odds with the world is also a poet. 26 Waa Nabad: Somali Community in Lewiston photo essay by Erin Dowding. Change comes to a quiet, French Canadian town. 33 The Story of the Archive by Patricia Erickson 34 From the Archive An Anchor for Monica. Photo essay by Pam Berry. Monica lives in a school bus with her daughter while they build a house for the future. 36 Earth and Fire photo essay by Jenifer Dean Fifteen years later, Monica holds tight to the land. 44 Happiness Lies on the Back of a Horse by Melissa Dalton, photographs by Valerie Haynes. Topsham’s Flying Changes Center for Therapeutic Riding gives children skills and joy. 58 Home from War by Melissa Hale, photographs by Betty Bastidas. Veterans speak from the edgy shadows of their memories. 74 Some Kind of Farmer by Katharine Freeman, photographs by Molly Myers Frank Bowie is the last dairy farmer in Durham. 88 We Do This Way We Stay Together by Lisa Merlini, photographs by Valerie Haynes. A love story of a Vietnamese man and his Guatemalan wife. 102 Mary Merithew: Living in Death’s Shadow photo essay by Leslie Brooks A dying woman instructs a young woman in living. 110 The Mighty Dollar by Stephanie Congdon, photographs by Isabel Foley How an accordion lesson plus a yard rake, minus a dog-sit equals tickets to a symphony. 122 Don’t Blink: A Glimpse into a Deaf Teenager’s World by Lauren McSherry, photographs by Renee Armstrong Straight talking on Mackworth Island. 136 On the Farm with Nanney photo essay by Drew Oberholtzer “I only use salt water and sunlight,” a sheep farmer says about her wool. 144 News and Shows Terrific passions and Salt Gallery highlights, 2004.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/salt_magazine/1051/thumbnail.jp
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