Pune Inc: This AI-powered glove for deaf interprets sign language, converts spoken words into text

One day, using sign language, Karnataki asked him, “Will you be my friend?” and realised how happy it made Atharva to see someone communicate with him.

Aishwarya Karnataki, Co-Founder, GlovatriX (left)

“Since that day, I’ve always wanted to do something for the deaf. He was a brilliant kid who knew all the answers but he could not give them to the teachers because of his communication gap. So since that day, I wanted to bridge the communication gap for deaf people,” said Karnataki.

She studied electronic engineering, and for her project, she worked on a gesture-controlled robotic car instead of remote controls, which was a stepping stone to her startup, GlovatriX.

Fast forward to January 2020 in Pune, Karnataki teamed up with co-founder Parikshit, a data scientist, to turn this vision into reality.
This led to the development of Fifth Sense, an AI-based glove-like device with sensors that map hand and finger movements in 3D space.

The device translates their gestures into voice, allowing seamless communication for deaf people with others. Additionally, a microphone on the gloves captures spoken words, converting them into text and images for the deaf user.

Talking about accuracy, Karnataki said, “We have managed to achieve 98 per cent accuracy based on 50 gestures.”

Adding new gestures requires recording them ten times from ten deaf individuals to capture variability. They add 100 gestures every two weeks. The device trained to translate words, phrases, and finger spellings to speech effectively, costs Rs 20,000.

Karnataki worked as a teacher before taking up GlovatriX full time. She and Parikshit initially bootstrapped their venture using their salaries. They later secured financial support through government grants, startup competitions, and from friends and family.

“We got funds from the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, Nidhi Prayas, a Birac Big grant, and applied to all the competitions. So the prize money from these competitions kept our finances going. We were the winners of the conquest by Bits Pilani this year. So they gave us Rs 6 lakh and we got another prize of Rs 2 lakh from the United Nations. But we are actively looking to raise funds”, said Karnataki.

GlovatriX, currently on its eighth hardware iteration and second app iteration, aims to position itself as a workplace communication tool. The team has already processed an order for the Odisha government and is in talks with various companies, including hotel chains and airlines, to pilot the device for their deaf employees.

Now, they are working on increasing the scalability of the product. Karnataki said they want to enter the market through the business-to-business (B-B) channel. Their target is inclusive organisations that hire deaf and speech-impaired people.

Eventually, about a year down the line, they would want to do a business-to-consumer (B-C) launch also where they sell directly to the individuals.

“We have all seen at petrol stations or cafes, deaf people are generally filling fuel or picking up dishes. It is inclusive of these organisations to hire them. But most of them are graduates. They know coding and computers, but they don’t get the jobs they deserve because of the communication gap. So that’s why they end up doing manual work, mainly because of the communication gap. So through this device, we aim to bridge that gap”, said Karnataki.

Looking ahead, GlovatriX envisions becoming a comprehensive solution for sign language, incorporating training modules and vocational skills. The ultimate goal is to create a disability-friendly world where no one faces social isolation due to communication barriers, she said.