Technology Transfer of the Ralph Fingerspelling Hand

David L. Jaffe, MS

Objective: The goal of this work is to design, build, and transfer the technology employed in a robotic communication system for deaf-blind individuals.

Method: Ralph is a computer controlled electromechanical hand that serves as a tactile display for persons who are deaf and blind. In operation, the deaf-blind user feels the hand as it moves and interprets its motions as letters corresponding to the American One-Hand Manual Alphabet, a technique known as tactile fingerspelling. The hand is controlled by a microcontroller whose software translates incoming serial ASCII data into control signals that operate eight servomotors. These servomotors pull on the fingers' mechanical linkages causing them to flex. Ralph can use information from a computer's serial port, modem, TDD, or computer interface to a optical character recognition scanner, voice recognition system, closed caption decoder, or stenography machine to translate e-mail messages, telephone conversations, printed text, spoken words, subtitled television programs, or classroom / conference / courtroom interactions into fingerspelling. One unit has been built and demonstrated to deaf-blind people, other engineers, and the public.

Status: A collaborative effort with prospective manufacturer has begun. Funding for the technology transfer effort is being pursued through a NIH SBIR proposal. Personnel from the Palo Alto Rehab R&D Center will serve as consultants on this proposal. Under this effort, a new prototype will be designed that will offer new features and will be easy to manufacture. An initial set of 10 to 12 units will be built and tested by deaf-blind people before the first commercial devices are manufactured.

Conclusion: The ability of personnel from the Rehab R&D Center to engage in this collaborative activity is key to this device's technology transfer success. The commercialization of the fingerspelling hand will bring enhanced personal communication opportunities to deaf-blind people.

Funding Acknowledgement: Rehab R&D Center core funds