Wed, Aug 11, 2010 | 18:37 BST
Kinect recognizes American Sign Language
According to a patent listing for Kinect, not only does the motion controller recognize the body, face, and voice, but American Sign Language as well.
Those who communicate through the use of ASL will be able to input letters, phrases, and words.
“Where the user is unable to speak, he may be prevented from joining in the voice chat,” reads the patent. “Even though he would be able to type input, this may be a laborious and slow process to someone fluent in ASL. Under the present system, he could make ASL gestures to convey his thoughts, which would then be transmitted to the other users for auditory display.
“In this situation, for example, when the user kills another user’s character, that victorious, though speechless, user would be able to tell the other user that he had been ‘PWNED’. In another embodiment, a user may be able to speak or make the facial motions corresponding to speaking words. The system may then parse those facial motions to determine the user’s intended words and process them according to the context under which they were inputted to the system.”
The patent also states Kinect tracks fingers and toes.
“Where more points are tracked, additional features may be identified, such as the bones and joints of the fingers or toes, or individual features of the face, such as the nose and eyes,” according to the patent.
We’re wondering if it can recognize the one fingered welcome as well, then. Okay. Bad joke there. Sorry. We’ll send a mail regarding the patent.
Kinect’s out on November 4 in the US for $150 and £129.99 in the UK. A European and UK release is expected to be revealed soon.
Via Gamespot.
12 comments
#1
LordCancer
07/08/10, 7:19 pm
so now the deaf and the dumb can play.
#2
Gekidami
07/08/10, 7:33 pm
They already could.
#3
Stephany Nunneley
07/08/10, 7:34 pm
I know plenty of “dumb” people who play games
#4
LOLshock94
07/08/10, 7:57 pm
i playyyyyyyyyyyy
#5
Quiiick
07/08/10, 7:59 pm
“American Sign Language”?
Isn’t the sign language international?
If not, I’m quite surprised.
#6
Stephany Nunneley
07/08/10, 8:05 pm
@5 “ASL is the dominant sign language of deaf Americans (which include the deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico). Although the United Kingdom and the United States share English as a spoken and written language, British Sign Language (BSL) is quite different from ASL, and the two sign languages are not mutually intelligible.”
Per Wiki.
Surely, it will detect BSL too over in the UK. I can send a mail and ask since you brought it up and we’ve found it’s different.
#7
Quiiick
07/08/10, 8:22 pm
Strange, but thanks a lot for the info, Stephany.
#8
Stephany Nunneley
07/08/10, 8:34 pm
@8 Oh np at all! I learned something today, actually.
#9
xino
07/08/10, 8:37 pm
@5 exactly Quick, what is American sign language!?
#10
Stephany Nunneley
07/08/10, 9:06 pm
@9 see @6
#11
The1stMJC
08/08/10, 12:31 am
I thought they were doing gang signs
#12
James Mac
08/08/10, 1:21 am
I think this patent application may have been written before they scaled back the points of reference.
I didn’t think it could track fingers… which it would need for identifying sign language.
Still, if kinect can… that’s awesome.