Virtual sign translator

In this paper authors present the overall study that includes the model developed (VS Model) and the experiences performed, with an automatic bidirectional sign language translator, between written and sign language, which is being supervised by the research group GILT (Graphics, interaction & learning technologies) under the frame of a national project called Virtual Sign (VS project). This project aims to develop and evaluate a model that facilitates access for the deaf and hearing impaired to digital content - in particular the educational content and learning objects - creating the conditions for greater social inclusion of deaf and hearing impaired people. Access to digital content will be supported by an automatic translator between Portuguese Writing (LEP) and Portuguese Sign Language (LGP) supported by an interaction model.FCT - Projeto VirtualSign - Ref. PTDC/CPE-CED/121878/201

Using games to make the process of learning sign language enjoyable and interactive

Conferência realizada em Wellington, na Nova Zelândia, de 8-10 de dezembro de 2014The work presented in this paper consists in the development of a game to make the process of learning sign language enjoyable and interactive. In this game the player controls a character that interacts with various objects and non-player characters with the aim of collecting several gestures from the Portuguese Sign Language. This interaction is supported by data gloves and Kinect. These gestures can then be represented by the character. This allows the user to visualize and learn or train the various existing gestures. To improve the interactivity and to make the game more interesting and motivating, several checkpoints were placed along game levels. This will provide the players a chance to test the knowledge they have acquired so far on the checkpoints by performing the signs using Kinect. A High Scores system was also created as well as a history to ensure that the game is a continuous motivating process as well as a learning process

Virtual sign : a real time bidirectional translator of portuguese sign language

Promoting equity, equal opportunities to all and social inclusion of people with disabilities is a concern of modern societies at large and a key topic in the agenda of European Higher Education. Despite all the progress, we cannot ignore the fact that the conditions provided by the society for the deaf are still far from being perfect. The communication with deaf by means of written text is not as efficient as it might seem at first. In fact, there is a very deep gap between sign language and spoken/written language. The vocabulary, the sentence construction and the grammatical rules are quite different among these two worlds. These facts bring significant difficulties in reading and understanding the meaning of text for deaf people and, on the other hand, make it quite difficult for people with no hearing disabilities to understand sign language. The deployment of tools to assist the daily communication, in schools, in public services, in museums and other, between deaf people and the rest may be a significant contribution to the social inclusion of the deaf community. The work described in this paper addresses the development of a bidirectional translator between Portuguese Sign Language and Portuguese text. The translator from sign language to text resorts to two devices, namely the Microsoft Kinect and 5DT Sensor Gloves in order to gather data about the motion and shape of the hands. The hands configurations are classified using Support Vector Machines. The classification of the movement and orientation of the hands are achieved through the use of Dynamic Time Warping algorithm. The translator exhibits a precision higher than 90%. In the other direction, the translation of Portuguese text to Portuguese Sign Language is supported by a 3D avatar which interprets the entered text and performs the corresponding animations

Virtual sign: using a bidirectional translator in serious games

The work presented in this paper is one of the outcomes of the virtual sign project that aims to assist the communication with deaf students in the classroom. The project is being developed by Portuguese researchers. The main goal of the virtual sign project is the creation of a bidirectional Portuguese sign language translator. This translator supports the development of a serious game that was developed to facilitate the sign language learning process. In the game, it is possible to gather different gestures and reproduce them. The game includes three different scenarios. These scenarios are linked to increasing levels of proficiency in sign language. The first one addresses the alphabet, the second one goes a step forward to teach words, and the third one introduces full sentences. The game experience can be enhanced by using the Kinect to perform the gestures. This game intends to be of great assistance in the process of learning the Portuguese sign language.This work was supported by Engineering Institute of Oporto and GILT (Graphics, Interaction and Learning Technologies) under Grant Nos. 60973089. FCT (Fundação para a ciência e Tecnologia) project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A kinect game in the VirtualSign project: training and learning with gestures

Comunicação apresentada na 7ª Conferência Internacional de Arte Digital realizada em Óbidos de 19-20 de março de 2015This paper presents the development of a game aimed at making the process of learning sign language enjoyable and interactive, using the VirtualSign Translator. In this game the player controls a character that interacts with various objects and non-player characters with the aim of collecting several gestures from the Portuguese Sign Language. Through the connection with VirtualSign Translator the data gloves and Kinect support this interaction and the character can then represent the gestures. This allows for the user to visualize and learn or train the various existing configurations of gestures. To improve the interactivity and to make the game more interesting and motivating, several checkpoints were placed along game levels. This provides the players with a chance to test the knowledge they have acquired so far on the checkpoints, after performing the signs using Kinect. A High Scores system was also created, as well as a History option, to ensure that the game is a continuous and motivating learning process

Game design and the gamification of content : assessing a project for learning sign language

Comunicação apresentada na EDULEARN 2015, realizada em Barcelona de 6-8 de julho de 2015This paper discusses the concepts of game design and gamification of content, based on the development of a serious game aimed at making the process of learning sign language enjoyable and interactive. In this game the player controls a character that interacts with various objects and non- player characters, with the aim of collecting several gestures from the Portuguese Sign Language corpus. The learning model used pushes forward the concept of gamification as a learning process valued by students and teachers alike, and illustrates how it may be used as a personalized device for amplifying learning. Our goal is to provide a new methodology to involve students and general public in learning specific subjects using a ludic, participatory and interactive approach supported by ICT- based tools. Thus, in this paper we argue that perhaps some education processes could be improved by adding the gaming factor through technologies that are able to involve students in a way that is more physical (e.g. using Kinect and sensor gloves), so learning becomes more intense and memorable

Serious game on sign language

The quantity of educational digital content available for the hearing impaired community is very scarce. However, due to extraordinary progress of the new technologies, remarkable opportunities to bring a better quality of life to the public in general arose. Making these opportunities available to those who endure handicap and disabilities is a core concern in today's society and a must to promote equity and inclusion. The target community addressed by our work, the hearing impaired community, has its own language, known as Sign language. The work presented in this paper consists in the development of a game to make the process of learning sign language enjoyable and interactive. In order to do this, a game was created in which the player controls a character and interacts with various objects and non-player characters with the aim of collecting several gestures from the Portuguese Sign Language. These gestures can then be represented by the character. This allows the user to visualize and learn or train the various existing gestures. To raise the interactivity and to make the game more interesting and motivating, several checkpoints were placed along the level. This will provide the players a chance to test the knowledge they have acquired so far on the checkpoints by using Kinect. A High Scores system was also created as well as a history to ensure that the game is a continuous motivating process as well as a learning process