Lero researchers at UCD announce program with Microsoft to enable future communications between deaf and non-deaf people – Irish Tech News

– SFI Research Center aims to develop a virtual Irish sign language interpreter using Microsoft technologies

Dublin; Wednesday, 4 ^th July 2018: Lero, the SFI's Irish Software Research Center and University College Dublin (UCD) announced a research initiative with Microsoft Skype designed to enable future communications between deaf and non-human. Deaf people.

The research project, which will develop a virtual Irish sign language interpreter, is supported by Science Foundation Ireland in collaboration with Microsoft. It incorporates various Microsoft technologies that allow interaction without the need for a human interpreter or a sign language knowledge by the non-deaf individual.

"This is an exciting research program that could transform the ability of deaf people to communicate," commented Dr. Anthony Ventresque, researcher at Lero and director of the UCD Complex Software Lab, who leads the program with PhD students Elayne Ruane and Thomas Lawrence

"Our business is all about communications, which is why we started thinking that deafness should not be an obstacle," commented Ross Smith, director of Engineering at Microsoft Skype Division. "The goal of the three to five year program is to develop a solution that could be made available to deaf people worldwide as part of our global Skype4Good initiative.

Lero UCD researchers have already developed a prototype using Microsoft tools including HoloLens intelligent mixed reality glbades, LUIS.AI language understanding, servic Azure cognitives and Xbox depth camera technologies. An avatar translates the sign language of the deaf person into speech and vice versa.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cntfuruKkAI&feature=youtu.be

Dr Ventresque commented, "To date we have developed a sign language interpreter that focuses on hand gestures; the next step is to make the prototype realistic and useful to the end user by incorporating recognition and generation of facial expressions into the interpreter, which is a Essential feature absent from the current offers in this area.We think we also have a head start in this space as we have developed an innovative solution for sensing emotions as part of another Lero Skype project. "

Dr. Darrin Morrissey, Director of Programs and Investments for the Science Foundation Ireland welcomed the initiative. "This is an excellent example of some of the cutting-edge research conducted in Ireland through the SFI Research Center network with our industrial partners, and has tremendous potential to contribute to the common good globally and positively impact the lives of the deaf community. "

Commenting on the development, Philip Power, who is a deaf law student at the UCD said," My reaction when I used the prototype was "Wow!

Leah Ennis McLoughlin, a deaf science student at UCD, added, "We are all part of the same world and it would be great if it broke the language barriers that currently exist. for deaf people through work and social interaction. "