Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech

Amazon’s Echo Mod Helps Alexa Understand Sign Language

August 3, 2018 By Tierney King

Voice interfaces like Alexa have become an integral part of everyday technology, but what about people who don’t communicate using speech? This is what inspired Abhishek Signh, software developer, to create a mod that allows Amazon’s Alexa assistant to understand simple sign language commands, according to The Verge.

In order for this to work, an Amazon Echo must be connected to a laptop while the webcam decodes Signh’s gestures in text.

 “If these devices are to become a central way in which we interact with our homes or perform tasks then some thought needs to be given towards those who cannot hear or speak,” said Signh in an interview with The Verge. “Seamless design needs to be inclusive in nature.”

The mod was created using the help of Google’s TensorFlow software, which allows users to code machine learning applications in JavaScript. Using the machine vision software, Signh taught his program to understand certain visual cues by feeding it training data. Because he couldn’t find datasets for sign language online, he created his own set of basic signs for the computer to understand.

The software is a proof-of-concept, and cannot read any signs that Signh has not coded into the software. Signh said that adding more vocabulary and signs would be relatively easy. He plans to open-source the code for anyone to use.

“By releasing the code people will be able to download it and build on it further or just be inspired to explore this problem space,” Signh said.

Currently, Amazon has released an update for Alexa that allows users with the screen-equipped Echo Show to interact with the virtual assistant without any voice commands. Perhaps sign language could be Alexa’s next step.

“There’s no reason that the Amazon Show, or any of the camera-and-screen based voice assistants couldn’t build this functionality right in,” says Signh. “To me that’s probably the ultimate use-case of what this prototype shows.”

Related Articles Read More >

A portrait of Dexcom VP of Global Clinical Initiatives Tomas Walker
Dexcom focuses on early diabetes diagnosis as COVID links emerge
Clippard NIV Series media isolation valves
Clippard releases new series of isolation valves
A phlebotomist draws blood from a patient in her home
How to leverage technology to drive diversity in clinical studies
A lab workers uses the BD Max molecular diagnostic system
BD and CerTest Biotec team up on molecular monkeypox diagnostic test

DeviceTalks Weekly.

June 24, 2022
How innovative design, commercial strategy is building Cala Trio’s bioelectronic medicine market
See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

Enewsletter Subscriptions

Enewsletter Subscriptions

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech 100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to E-newsletter
  • Attend our Monthly Webinars
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech