Translation device a sign of the times

Three college students in northeastern China have developed a two-way sign language translation technology to help people with hearing and speech disabilities communicate with others.

The technology uses wristband sensors that detect the muscle movements of the wearers' hands and arms. A hearing or speech-impaired person can sign while wearing the wristbands, and this will be translated into text and sounds through a mobile app.

The system works both ways, so those who cannot sign will have their spoken words converted into sign language and text, which is displayed on the screen of a mobile device.