SignSense Glove

The story

Many everyday exchanges depend on a hearing person understanding a signer, or on a signer having access to a suitable communication option. A tool that produces text or speech may help in some of these moments, but only when its limits are clear and its development respects sign languages as distinct languages. SignSense Glove is not proposed as a universal sign-language translator, and it cannot substitute for interpreters, direct signing, captions, or accessible public services. SignSense Glove is a lightweight pair of black, wrist-length textile gloves. Each glove is designed around flexible sensor strips along the fingers, a palm sensing area, and a low-profile electronics module at the wrist. The paired design is intended to support vocabulary that uses both hands. The glove system recognizes selected, supported signs and sends a corresponding text or speech output to a paired device. A visible confidence indicator is intended to show when the system is less certain, so users can decide whether to repeat, rephrase, or use another communication method. The product is planned for Deaf and hard-of-hearing signers who choose to use it, and for hearing contacts during everyday interactions such as brief service conversations, introductions, or shared tasks. It is not a tool for judging signing ability. Facial expression, body position, movement through space, regional variation, dialect, and context can affect meaning. Because a glove measures hand and finger movement rather than all parts of signed communication, some signs and grammatical information will not be adequately captured. Initial support must therefore be limited, explicitly documented, and tested with the communities connected to each supported language. Development will begin with structured participatio…