Priyanjali Gupta, a 21-year-old engineering undergraduate from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), has made the nation proud with her ingenious innovation using AI. She has developed an AI-powered real-time sign language translator, offering a ground-breaking solution for communication between the hearing and speech-impaired and the rest of the world.

Gupta’s innovation leverages computer vision and machine learning to convert American Sign Language (ASL) into readable English text using just a webcam.

A Project With A Purpose

The idea sparked when her mother challenged her to build something meaningful, practical, and impactful using her engineering skills. In a casual conversation between mother and daughter, they discussed how virtual assistants like Alexa serve only those who can speak. This led Priyanjali Gupta to explore the communication barriers faced by the speech and hearing-impaired.

This curiosity evolved into a working prototype powered by TensorFlow’s Object Detection API and transfer learning, using a pre-trained SSD MobileNet model.

A Webcam, Hand Gestures & 6 ASL Signs

Using a regular laptop webcam, this AI model detects hand gestures in real time and translates six commonly used American Sign Language (ASL) signs, including “Hello,” “I love you,” “Thank you,” “Yes,” “No,” and “Please” into text.

To train the system, Priyanjali manually captured 250–300 labeled images for each gesture. While still in its early stages, the project is set to expand with video-based recognition using LSTM models and plans to incorporate facial expressions and body posture for more sophisticated, full-sentence translations.

The Global Acknowledgement & Applause

In early 2022, Priyanjali posted a short demo on LinkedIn. The video exploded, receiving over 100,000 reactions, shares from tech influencers, and coverage by platforms such as Interesting Engineering, GreenMe, and Analytics India Magazine.

Netizens praised the project not just for its technical merit but for its human impact.

Gupta’s achievement is a powerful reminder of how young innovators, armed with open-source tools and purpose, can make a real difference. In an AI age often dominated by billion-dollar models, her is is a story of grassroots ingenuity, with the potential to reshape accessibility for millions.

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