"One fine morning I walk into the little coffee shop, tucked away beneath the building over it. I can’t help but let a smile form on my lips. Waiting inline, my eyes scan the table, and rests on an occupied booth in the corner. A grin takes over my face as I recognize the girl. She’s oblivious to me; in her own little world. Headphones hang from ears that gently protrude from a cascade of wavy bro
wn hair. A sketchbook is on the table, a laptop balanced beside it. The Girl in the Coffee Shop. Always sitting at the same booth. Eating a bite of cheesecake now and then or a sip of tea. A slight nod from the back shakes me back to reality. I move forward only to realize that a new lady has replaced Amelia who knew how to make my coffee. I’m nervous. Breathe. I wipe my sweaty palms on my faded denim jeans. Do I use sign language with the new lady? Will she understand? Is it worth risking an embarrassment? What will the girl sitting at the table think? I resign myself to my fate surrounded by people but alone because of my inability to speak to anyone. I turn around with a heavy heart and walk away from the coffee shop…." For many people this is a frustrating reality from which there is no escape. We want to bridge that gap and help hearing and speech impaired North Americans and world citizens become more connected to the world around them. Our project is to use LEAP Motion technology to interpret American Sign Language into correspondent text and audio speech, which can be displayed or played using mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Our startup aims to provide support to the mute population in places such as retail outlets, airports, banks and education sectors; where different types of transactions occur daily. Our application will assist the mute population perform multiple transactions within these places. Once the hand sign language is converted into voice, it will allow the mute population to not only express themselves but also perform basic necessities such as shopping by communicating with the sellers. Our team worked tirelessly and we are happy to report that our prototype “is ready” that will gift a voice to the voiceless and will help them connect to their family, friends, and neighbors better than ever before.
