Description: 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 servo motors. These servo motors 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 facilitating translation of e-mail, telephone conversations, printed text, spoken words, subtitled television programs, or classroom/conference/courtroom interactions into fingerspelling. Milestone: A local electronic consultant who has worked in the fields of robotics and virtual reality has expressed an interest in commercializing the fingerspelling hand. He has drafted a funding proposal that includes RR&D personnel as consultants. In addition, a not-for-profit company, NISH, has indicated that it would like to be involved in the production of commercial units. In addition, The Tech Museum of San Jose is designing a public display for this device. Twice monthly demonstrations to the public starting in October, 2000 are planned. Additional demonstrations are planned for the Chabot Space and Science Center in 2001. |
