# MS trailers Kinect’s sign-language capability



## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

*Microsoft trailers Kinect’s sign-language capability*

Microsoft has released a new video that showcases current-gen Kinect’s ability to understand sign-language and transcribe it into text. The tech is currently proficient in American and Chinese, but has the potential to extend to other languages.








Gaming Target reports that Microsoft Research has tested the tech at its lab in Beijing and had this to say about the breakthrough:

“Kinect, with its ability to provide depth information and color data simultaneously, makes it easier to track hand and body actions more accurately—and quickly. 

In this project—which is being shown during the demofest portion of faculty summit 2013, which brings more than 400 academic researchers to Microsoft headquarters to share insight into impactful research—the hand tracking leads to a process of 3-D motion-trajectory alignment and matching for individual words in sign language. 

“The words are generated via hand tracking by the Konect for Windows software and then normalized, and matching scores are computed to identify the most relevant candidates when a signed word is analyzed.”

It’s a big step for those with impaired hearing, and it could be a useful tool for opening up Xbox and Windows to all users, regardless of impairments. What do you think?

Source: VG24/7


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

I like being able to hear during games. I get a lot of clues from the soundtrack that I can't imagine signing being able to accomplish/portray without taking away from the game experience.

On the other hand I can see a use for the reverse...talking into the mic & the on screen character signing so the hearing impaired person can understand what you are saying. Anybody could sign this way.


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