Smart Speaking Glove: Bridging the Communication Gap

🚀 Project Overview

The Smart Speaking Glove is an innovative assistive technology designed to empower individuals with speech and hearing impairments. By leveraging an ESP32 microcontroller and Finger Resistor Sensors (FSRs) placed on each finger, this glove translates simple gestures into spoken words. It provides a novel and intuitive way to communicate without requiring prior knowledge of sign language.

This project integrates hardware and software seamlessly to enable real-time gesture-to-speech translation, fostering inclusivity and accessibility for people with communication challenges.

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🎯 Key Features

• Intuitive Alphabetical Input: Each finger is equipped with an FSR, enabling easy gesture-based input for forming words.
• Real-Time Speech Conversion: The system uses a Python-based text-to-speech (TTS) engine (pyttsx3) to vocalize inputs, offering immediate auditory feedback.
• Customizable and Scalable: Thresholds for FSR sensitivity can be adjusted, and the system can be expanded to support more complex gestures or phrases.
• Accessible Design: The glove eliminates the need for users to know sign language, focusing on simplicity and practicality.

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💡 How It Works

1. Input Detection: FSRs detect finger pressure, translating specific gestures into corresponding characters (e.g., 'h', 'e', 'l', 'o').
2. Word Formation: The ESP32 microcontroller collects inputs, forms words, and sends them via serial communication to a Python program.
3. Speech Output: The Python program converts received words into speech using a TTS engine, providing real-time audio feedback.

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🔧 Hardware Components

• ESP32 Microcontroller: The brain of the system, handling sensor input and serial communication.
• Finger Resistor Sensors (FSRs): Mounted on each finger to detect pressure and map it to specific characters.
• Power Supply: Powers the ESP32 and connected sensors.

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🖥️ Software Integration

Arduino Code: FSR_Python.ino

• Reads input from FSRs.
• Maps gestures to characters.
• Sends accumulated words to the Python program via serial communication.

Python Code: text_to_voice.py

• Decodes incoming serial data.
• Converts text to speech using the pyttsx3 library.
• Provides error handling for robust performance.

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🌟 Project Value

• Accessibility: Enables individuals with speech and hearing impairments to communicate more effectively.
• Innovation: Combines hardware and software to address real-world challenges in an elegant way.
• Impact: Breaks communication barriers and fosters inclusivity, enhancing the quality of life for users.

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💻 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• ESP32 microcontroller.
• Finger Resistor Sensors (FSRs).
• Arduino IDE for uploading the firmware.
• Python installed with the pyttsx3 library.

Installation

1. Set up the hardware: Connect the FSRs to the ESP32 as per the pin mapping in the Arduino code.
2. Upload Arduino code: Use the Arduino IDE to upload the FSR_Python.ino code to the ESP32.
3. Run the Python script: Install the required Python dependencies and execute the text_to_voice.py script to enable gesture-to-speech conversion.

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📝 See Detailed Project Report

For a comprehensive overview of the Smart Speaking Glove project, including design decisions, challenges, and implementation details, visit the detailed project report on Behance:
Smart Speaking Glove - Detailed Project Report

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🤝 Contribution

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to fork this repository and submit pull requests for enhancements, bug fixes, or new features.

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🌟 Let’s bridge the communication gap together!