Deaf will be able to read with improved Lip-Reaching training
Published: Jun 17, 2010Machine lip-reading technology could help lip readers improve their ability
to read others’ lips. A University of East Anglia team led by Sarah Hilder
contrasted the success rate of a machine lip-reading program with that of
human lip readers. Machine readers had a success rate of 80 percent, while
humans had a success rate of only 32 percent. Machines also could use an
abstract face shape to interpret lips, while humans needed a video of a real
person. Researchers gave volunteers with weak lip-reading skills a chance to
try a new training program that improved their ability to interpret
monosyllabic words in a few hours. The program, which is video-based, enabled
users to see moving lips and gestures as opposed to two-dimensional drawings.
“With just four hours of training, it helped them improve their lip-reading
skills markedly,” Hilder says. “We hope this research will represent a real
technological advance for the deaf community.” One possibility would be free
online video lessons, says Royal National Institute for Deaf People campaign
manager Agnes Hoctor.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2009/sept/homepagenews/lipreading
Links:
Sarah Hilder
s.hilder@uea.ac.uk
Royal National Institute for Deaf People
http://www.rnid.org.uk/
Agnes Hoctor
http://www.rnid.org.uk/howyoucanhelp/work_with_us/jobs/employee_profiles/agnes_hoctor/
