Cell phones has largely been limited to text messaging for deaf people. Technology is catching up - as it always does - to enable the disabled to visually communicate in real time.
Cornell University has come up with a technology (which they have been working for over 4 years, led by Professor Sheila Hemami) to over come this. She says that this technology would allow deaf people "untethered communication in their native language"
This project called Mobile ASL (American Sign Language) has created the first phone prototypes last year which are now used by 25 deaf people in Seattle. Still in the early stages of development, it wouldn't take long for this technology to be available worldwide, embedded on all mobile phones.These researches designed a video compression software which is very much lightweight and streamlined to efficiently deliver clear, understandable video over existing limited bandwidth networks (perfectly compatible with, both, 2G and 3G networks).
Technology would enable just about everything. We just need to wait a little longer ;)
Cheers!
Sources: (ACM, Cornell University)
Picture: Rober Berker, University Photography
