A Better Model for Animating American Sign Language
By Carter, Roymieco; Schnepp, Jerry; Alkoby, Karen; Davidson, Mary Jo; Furst, Jacob; Hinkle, Damien; Lancaster, Glenn; McDonald, John; Smallwood, Lori; Toro, Jorge; Wolfe, Rosalee; CSUN Technology and Persons With Disabilities Conference - 2002,Publication Date: 2002
Paper discusses the preliminary design implications for a personal digital translator that would transfer English to American Sign Language (ASL) for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Such an application could provide greater privacy levels, as no need would exist for a personal interpreter in doctor/patient or attorney/client conversations. The authors contend that the best approach for providing digital ASL is to utilize animated three-dimensional computer graphics. The first prototype was a three-dimensional digital computer model of an adult female. Initial usability tests indicated that people could recognize finger spelling and isolated signs, but that the model was too artificial. Facial expressions are essential for effective and efficient ASL communication, and this preliminary model had a still, “wooden” facial appearance. The next prototype design saw the model with more realistic facial and physical features, while the authors were developing a finite set of facial expressions at the time the paper was written.
Published by: Center on Disabilities at CSUN (Website:http://www.csun.edu/cod/)
Link to text: http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2002/proceedings/90.htm
