A student at Cornell is developing a wearable ring that can translate ASL finger spelling to text in real time. The ring could help hearing people better communicate with people that are deaf and hard of hearing.

It uses AI, a gyroscope and an active acoustic sensor to translate finger spelling. It’s taken more than two years for student Hyunchul Lim to create this wearable tool, which included time for him to learn sign language. So far, it can only decipher finger spellings.

The project turned out to be more difficult than expected, because of the speed of finger spelling.

What You Need To Know

  • Cornell student Hyunchul Lim is developing a ring that can translate finger spelling

  • This could eventually be a useful tool for people that are deaf or hard of hearing

  • He’s hoping to continue researching and eventually create glasses that can interpret full signs, facial expressions and body movement

"Hearing people can use their voice to call ‘Hey Siri’ or something to control their smart home, but deaf and hard of hearing people have some limit to their voice to use that,” said Lim.

He’s hoping to continue researching and eventually create glasses that can interpret full signs, facial expressions and body movement.

According to data from the New York State Department of Health, Cattaraugus, Fulton, Oswego and Schuyler counties have the highest rate of adult hearing disabilities in the state.