Nvidia creates AI platform for learning sign language
Nvidia, in collaboration with the American Society for Deaf Children and creative agency Hello Monday, has introduced an innovative AI platform Signs for teaching American Sign Language (ASL). The project aims to bridge the existing gap in technological solutions for the third most widely used language in the US.
The Signs platform is an interactive web service that combines a validated ASL gesture library with advanced artificial intelligence technologies. A unique feature of the system is a 3D avatar demonstrating correct gesture execution, as well as a user movement analysis function through a webcam to provide real-time feedback.
“Most deaf children are born to hearing parents. Providing families with accessible tools like Signs for early ASL learning allows them to establish effective communication with children as early as six to eight months of age,” noted Cheri Dowling, Executive Director of the American Society for Deaf Children.
Nvidia plans to create a extensive database of 400,000 videos covering 1,000 words in sign language. A key feature of the project is the careful validation of each gesture by professional ASL interpreters and native language users, ensuring high-quality training materials.
The platform also offers an opportunity for users of any skill level to contribute to the project’s development by recording videos performing specific gestures. The collected data will be used to create an open dataset that will help in developing new AI applications to overcome communication barriers between deaf and hearing people.
In the future, the company plans to make the dataset publicly available, allowing developers to create various technological solutions, including AI agents, digital assistant applications, and video conferencing tools with sign language support.
The launch of Signs marks an important step in developing accessible technologies for learning ASL, combining cutting-edge developments in artificial intelligence with the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community.
