VOXIO
According to the Canadian Association for the Deaf, approximately 3.6% of the population can understand and communicate in
American Sign Language (ASL). For Deaf Canadians who communicate through ASL, day-to-day communication that
hearing individuals often take for granted can be challenging; especially considering ASL is the most common mode of communication
for Deaf individuals.
To address this issue, we developed Voxio, a tool designed to streamline communication for the Deaf community.
Unlike the cumbersome nature of typing or writing responses, Voxio features real-time ASL transcription
to facilitate a natural flow of conversation and break down the barriers of communication between Deaf individuals and
non-ASL users.
The user signs to the camera built into the glasses. with computer vision technology, The sign language is interpreted into text and is read aloud via the speaker. This feature can be turned off for users that do not use ASL to communicate.
The module, designed to fit in the user's pocket, securely contains the Raspberry Pi that controls all of Voxio's features.
For the future of Voxio, we want to implement a subtitle feature. This would consist of a microphone built into Voxio that detects speech, transfer it to text and display the text onto an OLED screen that would rotate down into the glasses view.
Originally, we wanted to implement this feature which is why there is an OLED screen and motor featured on the CAD design. However, we focused on making something that could improve means of communication for the culturally Deaf. One of the primary forms of communication for culturally Deaf people in Canada is ASL so we prioritized our computer vision feature to translate ASL to speech.
Marco is a passionate IBio, with mechatronics minor student at the University of McMaster. He is skilled in neural networks, computer engineering, and being a great teammate!
Georgia is a senior at Martingrove Collegiate Institute. She is passionate in music, athletics, and engineeering.
Jad is an 11th grade student at Vincent Massey Secondary School. He is interested mechanical engineering, robotics, and playing guitar in his freetime.
Li Feng is a 12th grade student at Laurel Heights Secondary School. He is highly interested in computer science, specifically web development, and codes in his freetime.