Mobile Communication?

[DC_design]

Hello everyone,
My name is Devin and I am a design student in Boston MA. I have begun research for a new project on designing an interface for mobile signing. I had seen a concept by a Ryan Patterson in which he used a golf glove fitted with sensors was able to register signed letters. The down sides being it only reads one letter at a time and you are forced to wear a white golf glove. I am curious to know what the deaf community thinks about this? Would you use this concept?
My concept entails a device that would make signing things on the go to people not around you possible. I know plenty of hearing people get into accidents trying to walk and text in the city, so I can imagine the issue if you don't have hearing trying to dodge traffic while texting. Would you use technology like this? How do you communicate on the go now? Also if this technology were available would you want it to stand out or be something only people using this would notice?
Any information you are willing to offer would be wonderful and appreciated. I would love for this to be an open conversation for all opinions!
Thanks in advance!

 

[shel90]

Iphone, HTC Evo, and a few other smartphones have front facing cameras and apps for VP use.

Deaf people have been communicating on the go without a problem since Wyndtell was invented in the late 1990s.

As for using sign language to communicate, are you talking about an app that "interprets" between a signer and a nonsigner in person because most deaf people are fluent in English and can use emails and texts just like hearing people do. I am still unsure what your idea entails.

 

[posts from hell]

ok, signing with a glove for what? translation by machine?

we already have face time, mobile videophones, and texting for communicating on the go.

And BTW for your quote:

I know plenty of hearing people get into accidents trying to walk and text in the city, so I can imagine the issue if you don't have hearing trying to dodge traffic while texting.

It's been proven that the deaf are MUCH better on an unheard level in paying attention/dodging traffic. You should look into that.

 

[posts from hell]

Iphone, HTC Evo, and a few other smartphones have front facing cameras and apps for VP use.

Deaf people have been communicating on the go without a problem since Wyndtell was invented in the late 1990s.

As for using sign language to communicate, are you talking about an app that "interprets" between a signer and a nonsigner in person because most deaf people are fluent in English and can use emails and texts just like hearing people do. I am still unsure what your idea entails.

Yup, same feelings...

 

[DC_design]

Shel90,
I have seen most of these phones and they do seem to be a step in the right direction but feel that holding a phone out in front of you may not be conducive to ASL, finger spelling sure but what do you do for two hand signs? This is more of a full product. A way to sign when you may not have time to sit down and break out a computer. This concept is still open as far as a solution and I have not meant to offend anyone with this prompt. I just know personally there are times I want to tell someone a story and texting a hundred words is not all that practical.
Posts,
Yes the original concept was taken from the glove and translated via a computer. I did not mean to infer that anything by my traffic observation, only that attempting to text/video chat while navigating traffic is dangerous for anyone. That is the basic concept: not to invent a way to communicate mobiley, but to improve on it.