State of the Art of Automation in Sign Language: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Sign language is the fundamental communication language of deaf people. Efforts to develop sign language generation systems can make the life of these people smooth and effortless. Despite the importance of sign language generation systems, there is a paucity of a systematic literature review. This is the foremost recognizable scholastic literature review of sign language generation systems. It presents a scholastic database of the literature between 1998 and 2020 and suggests classification criteria to systematize research studies. Four hundred fourteen research studies were recognized and reviewed for their direct pertinence to sign language generation systems. One hundred sixty-two research studies were subsequently chosen, examined, and classified. Each of the 162 chosen research papers was categorized based on 30 sign languages and was further comparatively analyzed based on seven comparison parameters (input form, translation technologies, application domain, use of parsers/grammars, manual/non-manual features, accuracy, and output form). It is evident from our research findings that the majority of research on sign language generation was carried out using data-driven approaches in the absence of proper grammar rules and generated only manual signs. This research study may provide researchers a roadmap toward future research directions and facilitate the compilation of information in the field of sign language generation.