I could deal with that. My ASL's a little rusty, but it's great for anonymity in conversation.
On Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 4:48 PM, Mr. Worf <hellomahog...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Sign language communication over low bandwidth mobile phone networks > > By Darren Quick <http://www.gizmag.com/author/darren-quick/> > > *01:57 August 17, 2010* > > 2 Pictures <http://www.gizmag.com/mobileasl-project/16053/picture/119362/> > [image: Josiah Cheslik, a UW junior and volunteer in the MobileASL field > study, demonstrates > using...]<http://www.gizmag.com/mobileasl-project/16053/picture/119362/> > > Josiah Cheslik, a UW junior and volunteer in the MobileASL field study, > demonstrates using the phone to sign with Pete Michor, seen in the > background, another participant in the study (Image: Mary Levin, UW) > *Image > Gallery<http://www.gizmag.com/mobileasl-project/16053/picture/119362/>(2 > images) > * > BlackBerry® Bold™ > 9700<http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=BpxPs5u1qTIjBOYKIjQTW06nmBvrSgMUBosGhgBXAjbcBwLqoARABGAEgs9z6ASgEOABQrabI_fz_____AWDJxs2GyKOgGbIBDnd3dy5naXptYWcuY29tugEKMzAweDI1MF9qc8gBAdoBggFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lmdpem1hZy5jb20vbW9iaWxlYXNsLXByb2plY3QvMTYwNTMvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9R2l6bWFnK1N1YnNjcmliZXJzJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj03NmExNTJkZGZkLVVBLTIyMzUzNjAtNCZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsyALy8JATqAMB6AMN6AOGA-gDpQX1AwIAAEQ&num=1&sig=AGiWqtwyJll6lft-xkQ6klY2h0OCAMmD7Q&client=ca-pub-1607124478120364&adurl=http://104.xg4ken.com/media/redir.php%3Fprof%3D6%26camp%3D1340%26affcode%3Dkw246372%26inhURL%3D%26cid%3D5543198042%26networkType%3Dcontent%26CPID%3DKNC-kw246372_p6%26HBX_PK%3Drim%7C_kenshoo_clickid_%26url%5B%5D%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fna.blackberry.com%252Feng%252Fdevices%252Fblackberrybold9700%252Fbold_wheretobuy.jsp>- > BlackBerry.com/Bold9700<http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=BpxPs5u1qTIjBOYKIjQTW06nmBvrSgMUBosGhgBXAjbcBwLqoARABGAEgs9z6ASgEOABQrabI_fz_____AWDJxs2GyKOgGbIBDnd3dy5naXptYWcuY29tugEKMzAweDI1MF9qc8gBAdoBggFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lmdpem1hZy5jb20vbW9iaWxlYXNsLXByb2plY3QvMTYwNTMvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9R2l6bWFnK1N1YnNjcmliZXJzJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj03NmExNTJkZGZkLVVBLTIyMzUzNjAtNCZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsyALy8JATqAMB6AMN6AOGA-gDpQX1AwIAAEQ&num=1&sig=AGiWqtwyJll6lft-xkQ6klY2h0OCAMmD7Q&client=ca-pub-1607124478120364&adurl=http://104.xg4ken.com/media/redir.php%3Fprof%3D6%26camp%3D1340%26affcode%3Dkw246372%26inhURL%3D%26cid%3D5543198042%26networkType%3Dcontent%26CPID%3DKNC-kw246372_p6%26HBX_PK%3Drim%7C_kenshoo_clickid_%26url%5B%5D%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fna.blackberry.com%252Feng%252Fdevices%252Fblackberrybold9700%252Fbold_wheretobuy.jsp> > Sleek, Refined & Impressive. 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But as > convenient as texting can be, it isn’t always the most reliable form of > communication – messages can take a while to arrive and short messages can > easily be misinterpreted. To address this problem University of Washington > (UW) engineers are developing the first device able to transmit American > Sign Language (ASL) over U.S. cellular networks. > > The advent of mobile phones with larger displays and video calling would > seem to be an obvious solution for people who communicate with sign > language. People in countries where 3G networks are ubiquitous are already > using mobile phones for sign language communication. However, in areas with > low bandwidth even today’s best video encoders struggle to produce the video > quality needed for intelligible sign language. > > The MobileASL <http://mobileasl.cs.washington.edu/> project at > UW<http://www.washington.edu/>has been working to optimize compressed video > signals for sign language. By > increasing image quality around the face and hands, researchers have brought > the data rate down to 30 kilobytes per second while still delivering > intelligible sign language. MobileASL also uses motion detection to identify > whether a person is signing or not, in order to extend the phones' battery > life during video use. > <http://www.gizmag.com/mobileasl-project/16053/picture/119363/> > > The team says transmitting sign language as efficiently as possible > increases affordability, improves reliability on slower networks and extends > battery life, even on devices that might have the capacity to deliver higher > quality video. > Sign of the times > > Newly released high-end phones, such as the iPhone > 4<http://www.gizmag.com/iphone-4/15338/>and the HTC > Evo <http://www.gizmag.com/htc-evo-4g-sprint-wimax/14600/>, offer video > conferencing. But users are already running into hitches – broadband > companies have blocked the bandwidth-hogging video conferencing from their > networks, and are rolling out tiered pricing plans that would charge more to > heavy data users. > > The UW team estimates that iPhone's FaceTime video conferencing service > uses nearly 10 times the bandwidth of MobileASL. Even after the anticipated > release of an iPhone app to transmit sign language, people would need to own > an iPhone 4 and be in an area with very fast network speeds in order to use > the service. The MobileASL system could be integrated with the iPhone 4, the > HTC Evo, or any device that has a video camera on the same side as the > screen. > > "We want to deliver affordable, reliable ASL on as many devices as > possible," Riskin said. "It's a question of equal access to mobile > communication technology." > Field testing > > Initial field tests with participants in a UW summer program for deaf and > hard-of-hearing students using phones imported a couple of years ago from > Europe are just being completed. In the first two and a half weeks of the > study, some 200 calls were made with an average call duration of a minute > and a half, researchers said. > > "We know these phones work in a lab setting, but conditions are different > in people's everyday lives," said project leader Eve Riskin, a UW professor > of electrical engineering. "The field study is an important step toward > putting this technology into practice." > > Most study participants say texting or e-mail is currently their preferred > method for distance communication. Their experiences with the MobileASL > phone are, in general, positive. A larger field study will begin this > winter. > > > -- > Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
