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International Journal of Advanced Research Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJARTET)

Vol. 1, Issue 4, December 2014

DIGITAL VOCALIZER
Delna Domini1, Sreejith s2, Aksa David3
B.Tech, Electronics and Communication, Holy Grace Academy of Engineering, Mala, India
Asst. Professor, Electronics and Communication, Holy Grace Academy of Engineering, Mala, India
Asst. Professor, Electronics and Communication, Holy Grace Academy of Engineering, Mala, India

Abstract: This paper presents a gesture recognition model; known as Digital Vocalizer. Digital Vocalizer is an arduino UNO
based system and this system is designed to make the communication gap between dumb, deaf and blind communities and their
communication with the normal people as less as possible. Here in this paper, we mentioned the people by normal people who
have the abilities to see, hear and talk. Deaf people make use of the sign languages or gestures to convey what he/she needs to
say; but it is impossible to understand by a person who can hear. So we come on a conclusion to make an easy prototype by
taking some of those gestures and convert them into visual and audio forms. So the communication gap can be reduced as much
as possible. For that we make use of arduino UNO Board as Atmega 328 Controller to interface all of the actuators and sensors.
Sensors are fixed on the palm and fingers. Those sensed values will give the information about the parameters like finger bend,
hand position angle; and these are converted into electrical signal and switch to arduino UNO. Arduino UNO takes the actions
according to the gestures.

Keywords: Include at least 4 keywords or phrases

I. INTRODUCTION
Communication is a crucial part of human beings life; the
lack of proper communication will cause severe problems.
The communication is mainly done by gestures and speech.
So a complete coordination of these two is necessary. A
number of hardware techniques are used for gathering
information about body positioning; typically either image-
based (using cameras, moving lights etc) or device-based
(using instrumented gloves, position trackers etc.),
although hybrids are beginning to come about [1], [2], [3].
However, first we need to get the data; after that
we need to recognize those detected data from the glove
and it is considered as the second step. And the researches
on this are in progress. This research paper deals with the
data from a digital data glove for the use of recognition of
gestures. This system converts these signs and into
visual and speech. The conversion of data to visual and
speech is achieved by the audio processor.
II. BACKGROUND
A lot of research works have been done in the field of
gesture recognition; many are there in progress. The most
recent research; “Recognition of Hand Gestures Using
Range Images” is explained in reference [1]. Reference [2]
gives a small frame work of the Hybrid Classifiers.
Reference [3] gives a brief explanation of classification
Gesture. “Microcontroller and Sensors Based Gesture
Vocalizer” depicts a vocalizer by using 8051
microcontroller. In reference [4] a Survey on Gesture
Recognition has been done in reference [6]. Again a brief
description about the Data Glove is there on reference [7].
The methods to improve the recognition are being framed
in reference [8]. The requirements of a Self organized
recognition system are explained in reference [9]. A Free
Hand Tracking technology is explained in reference [10]. A
Real-Time Gesture Recognition system is discussed in
reference [11]. Reference [12] gives an analysis of
Dynamic Hand Gesture Recognition System. Reference
[13] shows a system with multiple sensors which will give
more accurate values. Reference [14] explains a
Nonspecific-User Hand Gesture Recognition technology.
An Algorithm and its Application for 3D Interaction is
discussed in reference [15].
III. METHODOLOGY
Block diagram of the whole system is shown Fig.1. The
system consists of:
 Data Glove
 Tilt Detection
 Bend Detection
 Adriano Board
 Audio Processor

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Vol. 1, Issue 4, December 2014

 LCD Display The Flex sensors are mainly made up of

resistive Carbon elements. Flex sensors have great form-
factor. The sensor produces a resistance output according
to the bend radius. As the radius reduces, the resistance
value increases. They convert the change in bend into
electrical resistance. As the bend increases the resistance
value also increases. The Change in resistance with
increasing bend is shown in Fig.3.

Fig.1: Block Diagram of the System

Digital glove is consisted of two sensors. They

are flex sensors and accelerometer as tilt sensor. The tilt
detection module and the bend detection module detect the
output of the accelerometer and flex sensor respectively.
The combinations of these results will lead to the Fig.3: Change in resistance with increasing bend
generation of some binary addresses; and those 8-bit
addresses are directly switched to the audio processor. For In simple words, flex sensors are analog
each gesture, the binary address will be different. Audio resistors. They work as variable analog voltage dividers
processor processes it and speaks. The data will be sent to and it is depicted in fig.4.
the LCD which displays the corresponding word.

IV. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

A. Data Glove
Flex sensors and accelerometer as tilt sensors are the
sensors which are placed on the data glove. The output of Fig.4: flex sensors as variable analog voltage dividers
the accelerometer is detected by the tilt detection module,
while the output of the flex sensors is detected by the bend As the amount of carbon increases the
detection module. The combination of these results of two resistance decreases. Circuit diagram of flex sensor is
sensors is given to the arduino UNO for further operations. shown below in Fig.5.
This combined result will give the overall gesture of the
hand.
I: Bend sensor
‘Flex Sensor’ or ‘Bend Sensor’ is a sensor that changes its
resistance depending on the amount of bend on the sensor.
In this system, five flex sensors are there on the data glove.
This are stitched on each of the finger of the hand glove
and they records the static and dynamic movements of the
fingers. Fig.2 shows how a flex sensor looks like. They are
usually in the form of a thin strip from 1”-5” long that vary
in resistance range.
Fig.5: Circuit diagram of flex sensor

The main applications of flex sensors are

Robotics, Automotive controls, Fitness Products, Medical
Devices, Animatronics Virtual Reality gaming consoles etc.

Fig.2: Flex Sensor

II: TILT SENSOR

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International Journal of Advanced Research Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJARTET)
Vol. 1, Issue 4, December 2014
In this system, Accelerometer is used to sense the tilting or
slanting of the hand. An accelerometer is a device that can
measure dynamic acceleration (vibrations) and static
acceleration (gravity). Being that it measures this, it can
sense movements/lack-of-movements, tilts and even
rotation also. A microcontroller is required to read and
record the tilt. Here in this system, we are using arduino
microcontroller. The unit of the output of the accelerometer
is mg (Milligram). Hence the mapping of the readings is
necessary. Thereby we can display these readings on the
computer.
ADXL335 accelerometer is used in this digital
vocalizer. The Output of accelerometer is analog and it
ranges from 1.5 to 3.5 volts. The output of the
accelerometer is given to the arduino. ADXL335 interface
with Arduino is shown below in Fig.6.
Fig.6: ADXL335 Interface with Arduino UNO
Six pins are there on the ADXL335 accelerometer. It is
shown in table.1. Two pins are there for power supply and
ground, X, Y and Z pins are the analog pins. The last pin
known as test pin can be left as disconnected. First power
supply must be up then wire up the analog pins to the
analog inputs of microcontroller.
TABLE I
PIN DESCRIPTION OF ADXL335
B. Gesture Detection
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Gesture recognition is handled by arduino UNO. The main
function of arduino UNO is to compare the detected values
by the sensors with the predefined values. According to
that comparison it sends some binary addresses to the LCD
and the Audio processor. The arduino UNO would have
two input sections; they are from the flex sensors and from
the accelerometer.
Fig.6: arduino UNO
Each flex sensors’ output is given to the separate analog
pins of arduino board. At first the output of these five flex
sensors are being evaluated and pulse width is calculated,
after the evaluation of all the five flex sensors they are
combined with the values of significant tilt /slant. Flex
sensor is very sensitive. Even a small bend is monitored it
will give infinite levels of bends. Hence the values of
bending are quantized into ten levels. This makes easier to
determine how much bending of the finger has happened.
Since the outputs of both the sensors are analog,
this is not measurable by the microcontroller. It is
necessary to convert it into digital form. A lot of Analog to
digital converter ICs (ADC) are available in the market.
However, in this system, we are using arduino UNO which
has inbuilt ADC. These two digital values are being
evaluated in the further more steps.
As a continuation of the above steps, the arduino
checks the digital output from the ADC. The significance
of the data which is received from the ADC’s is checked by
the Arduino. Significant means that hand is delivering
some meaningful gesture. The microcontroller compares
the output of the ADC with the already stored values.
According to this comparison, the arduino determines that,
whether the gesture is significant or not.If it is a significant
gesture, the microcontroller moves on to the next step; the
eight bit binary data to the audio processor and LCD will
be sent.
C. Audio Processor
Audio processor speaks out against the significant gesture.
Here we are using aPR33A3. It is capable of producing 8
voice messages. For that the voice messages must be
recorded. To record these messages, a microphone can be
3
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Vol. 1, Issue 4, December 2014

used. A lot of microphones are available in the market. pre-amplification can be used along with microphone
Here in this system an electret microphone is used. signal in order to activate the analog input of arduino and it
is shown in Fig.13. The output waveform of the
I. ELECTRET MICROPHONE
microphone with the pre-amplification circuit is shown in
A microphone is a transducer which converts sound energy Fig.14.
to electrical signals. Transducers are devices which convert
energy from one form to other. Its working principle is
opposite to a speaker. They are available in different shapes
and sizes. Commonly used microphone is electret
condenser microphone. It is shown in Fig.9. It is used in
mobile phones, laptops, etc. It is mainly used to detect
minor sounds or air vibrations. The top of the electret
microphone is covered by a porous material. It filters out
the dust particles.

.
Fig.13:Pre-amplification circuit for Electret Microphone

Fig.9: Electret Microphone

The two legs as shown in fig.9 are used to make

electrical connection with the circuit. The sound signals/air
vibrations pass through the porous material and falls on the
diaphragm through the hole at the centre. This change in
capacitance due to the presence of sound waves produces
variance in voltage and sends corresponding electrical
signals. The frequency response of electret microphone is Fig.14: The output waveform of microphone with pre-amplification circuit
shown in Fig.11. Test circuit for microphone and amplifier
modules is shown in Fig.12 Arduino generates the 8 bit addresses according
to the data from the bend and tilt detection modules. Now
the arduino can understand the meaning of each gestures
and it is capable to send the corresponding message
address. As we need to generate the voices to each
significant gesture, we switch these 8-bit addresses to the
audio processor IC. Here we are using aPR33A3 audio
processor.
Fig.11: Frequency response curve of electrets microphone

Fig.15:aPR33A3 Interface with Arduino UNO

Fig.12: Test circuit for microphone and amplifier modules Some particular allophones are allocated to each
word and for those allophones some addresses are defined
If your supply is 5v, you need to bias the output in audio processor IC. These 8 bit addresses are sent to the
to 2.5v to get maximum swing from your input signal. So a

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International Journal of Advanced Research Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJARTET)
Vol. 1, Issue 4, December 2014
aPR33A3 to speak those particular words. The summary is
that it is necessary to know the 8 bit digital addresses of
each word or sentence. The microcontroller sends these
addresses to aPR33A3. The address will locate the
allophone of the word. The aPR33A3 gives an output
signal and it can be amplified to make it louder. The
speaker takes the output of this amplifier as the input and it
speaks the voice messages corresponding to the 8-bit
addresses.
D. LCD Display
The audio processor gives a provision for the
communication of dumb with the normal people and with
the blind people as well. But the communication gap
between the dump people and the deaf people cannot be
reduced with the help of audio processor IC. To avoid this
condition a display can be attached along with the audio
processor.
Fig.16: LCD Interface with Arduino UNO
JHD162A is the LCD module used here. JHD162A is a
16×2 LCD module based on the HD44780 driver from
Hitachi. The JHD162A has 16 pins and can be operated in
4-bit mode or 8-bit mode. The microcontroller has already
generated 8 bit address bit and it is being sent to the audio
processor, the same address is being sent to the LCD
module. An eight bit address against each significant
gesture is sent to LCD module. This eight bit address
decides what should be displayed on the LCD.
V. Overview of the System
The Fig.17 depicts the over view of the Digital Vocalizer.
Fig.17: An overview of the whole system
6. Conclusion and Future Enhancements This paper
gives a detailed structure of a system is designed to make
the communication gap between dumb, blind and deaf
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communities and their communication with the normal
people who can speak, see and talk as less as possible. The
sign language is being by the dump communities used for
their communication. But these sign languages cannot be
used for the communication of dump communities with the
blind as well as normal people. Here we can use this
Digital Vocalizer which will generate voice and display
according to these signs. This display will help deaf
communities to reduce the communication gap also.
The future enhancements:
1. A provision for ZigBee standard for
“Digital Vocalizer”.
2. A new design with TTS256t to improve message
storage capacity.
3. Accurate monitoring of the static dynamic
movements involved in “Digital Vocalizer”.
4. A system with whole jacket, which could be
capable of conveying the movements of animals.
5. The replacement of virtual reality application like
joy sticks with the “Digital Vocalizer” (Data
Glove).
VI. REFERENCES
[1] Kazunori Umeda Isao Furusawa and Shinya
Tanaka, “Recognition of Hand Gestures Using
Range Images”, Proceedings of the 1998 IEEW/RSJ
International Conference on intelligent Robots and
Systems Victoria, B.C., Canada October 1998, pp.
1727-1732
[2] Srinivas Gutta, Jeffrey Huang, Ibrahim F. Imam,
and Harry Wechsler, “Face and Hand Gesture
Recognition Using Hybrid Classifiers”, ISBN: 0-
8186-7713-9/96, pp.164-169
[3] Jean-Christophe Lementec and Peter Bajcsy,
“Recognition of Am Gestures Using Multiple
Orientation Sensors: Gesture Classification”, 2004
IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference
Washington, D.C., USA, October 34, 2004, pp.965-
970
[4] Microcontroller and Sensors Based Gesture Vocalizer
Proceedings of the 7th WSEAS International Conference on
SIGNAL PROCESSING, ROBOTICS and AUTOMATION
(ISPRA '08), University of Cambridge, UK, February 20-22,
2008
[5] Sushmita Mitra and Tinku Acharya,”Gesture
Recognition: A Survey”, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON
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[6] Recognition of a Hand-Gesture Based on
Self-organization Using a Data Glove, 0-7803-5871-
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[7] Sanshzar Kettebekov, Mohammed Yeasin and
Rajeev Sharma, “Improving Continuous Gesture
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International Journal of Advanced Research Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJARTET)
Vol. 1, Issue 4, December 2014
Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR’03), ISBN #
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[8] Masumi Ishikawa and Hiroko Matsumura,
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[9] Hand Gesture Recognition Using Accelerometer
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Shirke Swapnali, Student of ENTC Dept., SKNCOE,PUNE
Pune,India
[10] Gloved and Free Hand Tracking based Hand Gesture
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[11] Toshiyuki Kirishima, Kosuke Sato and Kunihiro
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and Selective Control of Visual Interest Points”, IEEE
TRANSACTIONS ON PATTERN ANALYSIS AND
MACHINE INTELLIGENCE, VOL. 27, NO. 3,
MARCH 2005, pp. 351-364
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[12] Attila Licsár and Tamás Szirány, “Dynamic
Training of Hand Gesture Recognition System”,
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[14] Nonspecific-User Hand Gesture Recognition By
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Student Member of IEEE
Department of ECE,ICICES2014 - S.A.Engineering College,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
[15] lianfeng Liu, Zhigeng Pan, Xiangcheng Li "An Accelerometer-
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