Localising Manufacturing for More Affordable Assistive Devices for Sign Language Users and Non-verbal Individuals

Our research focuses on developing assistive technologies to contribute to the healthcare innovation industry. We work closely with special educational needs schools in the UK to develop communication technologies to help their students overcome every day challenges. The latest of which is a sensor-based data glove that can be used as a communication aid, all the features were developed based on a group of non-verbal students and their needs. The end result was a smart glove that uses advanced machine learning software, programmed to translate custom hand gestures to text and speech, in personalised voices and in any language.

Observing a clear gap in the market and a high need for such technology, BrightSign was founded in 2017, a wearable technology start-up developing innovations that enable communication for individuals with non-verbal disabilities. The company has since been actively engaged with schools, to implement the technology and enable the inclusion of Deaf and children diagnosed with Autism and/or are on the spectrum. We also collaborate, on an ongoing bases, with speech clinics to provide communication means to the ageing population who cannot speak due to losing their hearing overtime or an onset of illness, and require custom gesture recognition.

BrightSign gained recognition by IBM, MIT and AXA as a pioneering innovation in social care, digital healthcare and community impact. Our first product is BrightSign Glove, a smart glove wired with wearable sensors to recognise and translate custom hand gestures into speech in 40 languages. This can include but not limited to Sign Language which can be spoken out in more than 280 voices, so every user can use the voice that best matches their language, accent and gender .

This project is dedicated to bringing the manufacturing of the core hardware technology behind the BrightSign glove into the UK, that being the wearable stretch sensors. This will serve to increase the quality and accuracy of the glove, reduce the cost, and allow us to expand into other countries. It will also make this technology accessible to a wider range of the non-verbal population, estimated at 230 million around the world, who needs it to experience greater independence in everyday communication and to be included at school, work or for socialising, positively impacting their quality of life.