Gizmodo of the Day

Posted by martianmelaine on August 17, 2010 · 1 Comment 

First Mobile phone for Deaf,

hard-of-hearing in development

Josiah Cheslik, a UW junior and volunteer in the MobileASL field study, demonstrates using the phone to communicate in his native language. He is signing with Pete Michor, seen in the background, another participant in the study. Credit: University of Washington

“This is the first study of how deaf people in the United States use mobile video phones,” said project leader Eve Riskin, a UW professor of electrical engineering.

The MobileASL team has been working to optimize compressed video signals for sign language. By increasing image quality around the face and hands, researchers have brought the data rate down to 30 kilobytes per second while still delivering intelligible sign language. MobileASL also uses motion detection to identify whether a person is signing or not, in order to extend the phones’ battery life during video use.

The UW field test is using phones imported a couple of years ago from Europe, but MobileASL software could potentially run on any device. Credit: University of Washington

Transmitting sign language as efficiently as possible increases affordability, improves reliability on slower networks and extends battery life, even on devices that might have the capacity to deliver higher quality video.

This summer’s field test is allowing the team to see how people use the tool in their daily lives and what obstacles they encounter. Eleven participants are testing the phones for three weeks. They meet with the research team for interviews and occasionally have survey questions pop up after a call is completed asking about the call quality.

“We want to deliver affordable, reliable ASL on as many devices as possible,” Riskin said. “It’s a question of equal access to mobile communication technology.”

University of Washington

that’s incredible

and awesome.

read more about it, here