Advanced Gesture Recognition Glove for Non-Verbal Communication

Communication remains a significant challenge for individuals with speech and hearing impairments, especially when interacting with those unfamiliar with sign language. This paper introduces a smart glove system that translates hand gestures into text and voice output in real time using a microcontroller. The glove integrates flex sensors and a joystick potentiometer to detect hand and finger movements, enabling accurate gesture recognition. A key feature of the system is its runtime adaptability, allowing users to define new gestures and assign custom voice outputs, which can be recorded directly using the mobile device’s built-in microphone. Recognized gestures are transmitted via Bluetooth to a mobile application that displays the corresponding text and plays the associated audio through the phone's speaker. This low-cost, portable, and user-friendly solution offers a practical tool for improving communication accessibility. The paper outlines the system architecture, hardware-software integration, and testing results, demonstrating the glove's effectiveness in real-world scenarios. The proposed system contributes to the advancement of wearable assistive technologies and inclusive human-computer interaction.