Deaf to sign via video handsets

Deaf people could soon be using video mobiles to chat with their friends using sign language.

Video compression tools made by US researchers make it possible to send live pictures of people signing across low bandwidth mobile networks.

The system cuts down on the bandwidth needed by only sending data about which parts of each frame have changed.

The researchers are talking to mobile firms about how to get the technology in to the hands of deaf people.

Long look

Many American deaf people prefer to communicate via sign language but this is impossible over current mobile networks, said University of Washington computer scientist Richard Ladner who is one of the principal investigators on the project.

Chatting via signing across mobile networks was impossible, said Prof Ladner, because the bandwidth available means video was too low quality to accurately depict the arm, finger and face movements of sign language.

While video compression techniques could ease this problem there were other barriers too, said Prof Ladner.

“To do all this calculation and video compression runs down your battery pretty fast,” he said.

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