I: Preliminary Research

Idea/Topic:

ASL Robot

Some questions:

1. Does something like this already exist?

2. Should there be one hand or two?

3. Will the robot be able to keep up with a standard speaking speed

Links:

https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/18/this-3d-printed-robotic-arm-is-built-for-sign-language/

https://people.howstuffworks.com/sign-language.htm

https://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/fingerspelling/fingerspelling.htm

II. Thesis Statement

The ASL robot makes communication with deaf people easier and more accessible. This robot is an autonomous option that can act similarly to an interpreter when one isn't available. It can be used at last-minute events, in a classroom, and in smaller gatherings. The ASL robot is a physical device, rather than a virtual one so it can be interacted with in real life, and shares the physical space of the people who are using it. It picks up the nearest voice, converts, and outputs the audio to the ASL alphabet. Motors at different joints on the fingers, thumb, and wrist allow the robot to sign each letter of the ASL alphabet.

1. Cosimo Della Santina, Soft Hand 2
2. "Like other robot hands out there, the SoftHand uses “tendons,” aka cables, to tug on the fingers. Instead of a bunch of cables running to individual fingers, it uses just one cable that snakes through pulleys in each finger. "
3. This is a very similar concept to what we expect our final design to be.
4. The dexterity and movement of our project will be similar to this one
5. Our design will be similar in how it will have a base it sits on similar to this picture

Soft Hand 2

Cosimo Della Santina

• Guy Fierens, Stijn Huys and Jasper SlaetsIt’s a robotic hand and forearm that can perform sign language letters and numbers. It was designed from scratch and built from 25 3D-printed parts, with 16 servos controlled by an Arduino board
• It is a robot that performs a very similar operation as ours would.
• Aim towards the robot hand standing in for an interpreter
• Making it also twist at the forearm

ASLAN

Guy Fierens, Stijn Huys and Jasper Slaets

1. Christian De Weck, Prosthetic Hand
2. "Christian wants disabled classmates to have an affordable option. Christian started with some sketches of a hand that would use a motor and strings to get fingers to grip."
3. While the purpose of this project is different from ours the shape and movement are very similar
4. We both share the objective of helping people
5. We hope to have a similar mechanism for moving the fingers of our robot

Prosthetic Hand

Christian De Weck

Hand Talk

Hand Talk Servicos Ltda

1. This app uses AI to translate text and audio in ASL and Brazilian Sign Language through 3D translates that can be viewed in the app.
2. We both are working in the same field here and trying to make ASL translation easier
3. Our project will conceptually be very similar with the main difference being that ours will actually exist in 3D space

Notes:

• Pay extra attention to the Thumb
• Stay away from 3D printing takes to long
• think about safety and settings
• research hand muscles and joints
• word order is different in ASL
• Why do people use interpurters instead of captionign devices

1. What is missing that I still need to consider?



2. What worked well / made sense?

3. What elements do I need support or help on?

• Safety precautions
• How the speech to text string will work

• The idea 🤠👍

• Converting speech to a text string w/ a sensor