Deafblind people to understand live conversations thanks to e-textiles technology

Thousands of people who are born deafblind will understand live conversations for the first time thanks to new research into smart textiles being developed by Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

This world-first study will eventually allow the spoken word to be translated into a form of braille and communicated through e-textile gloves to the fingers of people who cannot hear or lip-read.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will interpret conversations on the wearer’s behalf and provide a summary of what’s said via tiny haptic actuators that are embedded in the fingers of the electronic gloves.

These actuators vibrate in a code to relay words, numbers and grammar to the wearer in a similar way to which raised dots communicate the braille alphabet on a six-figure grid.

The actuators—which are situated on the tops of the fingers below the knuckles—can vibrate at different amplitudes, frequencies and for varying lengths of time, allowing for numerous communications possibilities.

These can include the potential to provide directions, communicate phone notifications, fire alarms and doorbells, as well as interpretations of music or visual art.

According to charity Sense, almost 24,000 deafblind people in the U.K. are aged 0–19 years old, many of whom were born with a condition that caused the disability since birth. And an estimated 15 million people worldwide manifest severe deafblindness, with up to 450,000 estimated in the U.K. alone.

Dr. Hughes-Riley, an associate professor in the University’s Advanced Textiles Research Group (ATRG), said, “Thousands of people who are born deafblind could, for the first time ever, be able to understand live conversations thanks to the development of this new technology.

“By this we mean conversations in the street in everyday life, and not just those that are online, as the AI when activated will listen to the spoken word on the wearer’s behalf and provide a summary in real time of what’s being said.

“Combining this technology with a pair of wearable gloves allows people to integrate it into their everyday lives, which will bring about enormous benefits for them.

“This could include things that many people take for granted, such as understanding what other people are saying in conversation, hearing announcements at train stations or even enjoying an interpretation of music.”

The study is based on a working prototype for which an article was published on 15 March in the 2024 International Conference on the Challenges, Opportunities, Innovations and Applications in Electronic Textiles (E-Textiles).

Researcher Malindu Ehelagasthenna, who is undertaking a Ph.D. as part of the study, first suggested that textile embedded haptics could be used to help people in this way.

He said, “This technology has enormous potential to enrich the lives of thousands of people around the world who cannot see or hear and who are underrepresented.

“As well as supporting people who are completely deafblind, this technology may have vast benefits for people who are partially sighted and have partial hearing, who may otherwise have difficulties communicating, accessing information and navigating their immediate environment.”