Abstract
We propose a method for a sign language animation by skin region detection applied to an infrared thermal image. In a system incorporating the proposed method, a 3D CG model corresponding to a person’s characteristic posture while using sign language is generated automatically by pattern recognition of the thermal image, and then a person’s hand in the CG model is set. The hand part is made manually beforehand. If necessary, the model can be replaced manually by a more appropriate model corresponding to training key frames, and/or the same generated model can be refined manually. In our experiments, three hearing-impaired people, who were experienced in using sign language, recognized the Japanese sign language gestures of 70 words expressed as animations with 94.3% accuracy. We further improved the system by correcting the position and direction of the hand of the automatically generated model through the use of a fuzzy algorithm and simulated annealing.
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Asada, T., Yoshitomi, Y. A human-machine cooperative system for generating sign language animation using thermal image processing, a fuzzy algorithm, and simulated annealing. Artif Life Robotics 16, 486–492 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-011-0986-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-011-0986-9