Huawei today launched StorySign, an app designed to help deaf and hard-of-hearing children enjoy bedtime stories, while simultaneously assisting them in learning to read.
The AI-driven Android app works by translating the written word into accurate sign language, which is delivered on-screen by an animated character called Star.
According to Huawei, the app can recognize writing even when the phone is positioned at an angle. The AI engine also controls the speed of which pages load in the app, which, according to Huawei, means that the user doesn’t have to wait for the app to catch up.
StorySign launches today in the UK, and at first will work with the well-known children’s tale, ‘Where’s Spot?,’ with more titles to follow.
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While the app promises to make it easier for deaf and hard-of-hearing children to enjoy literature, it also aims to address the fact that many struggle to learn to read, due to the difficulty in connecting sign language with the written word.
In a statement, Andrew Garrihy, CMO for Huawei Western Europe, said: “We created StorySign to help make it possible for families with deaf children to enjoy an enriched story time. We hope that by raising awareness of deaf literacy issues, people will be encouraged to donate to or support one of the fantastic charity partners we are working with across Europe.”
StorySign is available to download from the Google Play Store and Huawei AppGallery in 10 markets across Western Europe.
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