Roy Allela inventor of the gloves that will enhance a better and easier way to communicate with those who use sign language as a means of communication, is a twenty-five years old engineer from Kenya. The gloves known as Sign-IO Gloves are designed to translate the movements of hands and fingers into audible voice speech which can be heard by listeners.
How the gloves work is that there are sensors on each finger and these sensors detect how and where each finger is positioned, and how they bend to create signs.
The African Giant got his inspiration from his young niece who is deaf. Because he and his family did not understand sign language, it has always been a challenge to communicate adequately. Since the gloves were developed, Roy says “My niece wears the gloves, pairs them with her phone or mine, then starts signing. I’m able to understand what she’s saying,” Allela shared in an interview with The Guardian.
Roy Allela the inventor of the remarkable gloves hopes to have the gloves in schools for children with special needs in his home country Kenya where it will expand to positively impact others with the needs worldwide.
The high-tech gloves have won Roy in 2018 grand winner of the “Hardware Trailblazer Award” at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) global finals in New York and also took home a second runner-up acknowledgment at the Royal Academy of Engineering Leaders in Innovation Fellowship in London. The innovation is projected to generate revenue in tune of $30 billion by 2024 according to Global NewsWire.
