Abstract
Hand gesture recognition is a crucial task for the automated translation of sign language, which enables communication for the deaf. This work proposes the usage of a magnetic positioning system for recognizing the static gestures associated with the sign language alphabet. In particular, a magnetic positioning system, which is comprised of several wearable transmitting nodes, measures the 3D position and orientation of the fingers within an operating volume of about 30 × 30 × 30 cm, where receiving nodes are placed at known positions. Measured position data are then processed by a machine learning classification algorithm. The proposed system and classification method are validated by experimental tests. Results show that the proposed approach has good generalization properties and provides a classification accuracy of approximately 97% on 24 alphabet letters. Thus, the feasibility of the proposed gesture recognition system for the task of automated translation of the sign language alphabet for fingerspelling is proven.
Highlights
Sign language (SL) is defined as “any means of communication through bodily movements, especially of the hands and arms, used when spoken communication is impossible or not desirable” [1]
Experimental data were obtained from three subjects, denoted as signers, which recorded the 24 static letters of the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet using the Magnetic Positioning System (MPS)
400 samples were recorded by each signer, keeping the hand at approximately the same orientation within the operational volume of the MPS
Summary
Sign language (SL) is defined as “any means of communication through bodily movements, especially of the hands and arms, used when spoken communication is impossible or not desirable” [1]. There are different sign languages with variability in hand shape, motion profile, and position of the hand, face, and body parts contributing to each sign. Modern sign language originated in the mid-18th century, when Charles-Michel, abbé de l’Epée, developed a system for spelling out French words with a manual alphabet and expressing whole concepts with simple signs. From the l’Epée’s system, the French Sign. Language (FSL) was developed, which is still in use in France today and is the precursor of American Sign Language (ASL) and many other modern national sign languages [1].
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