Development of A Computer Aided Real-Time Interpretation System for Indigenous Sign Language in Nigeria Using Convolutional Neural Network

Abstract

Sign language is the primary method of communication adopted by deaf and hearing-impaired individuals. The indigenous sign language in Nigeria is one area receiving growing interest, with the major challenge faced is communication between signers and non-signers. Recent advancements in computer vision and deep learning neural networks (DLNN) have led to the exploration of necessary technological concepts towards tackling existing challenges. One area with extensive impact from the use of DLNN is the interpretation of hand signs. This study presents an interpretation system for the indigenous sign language in Nigeria. The methodology comprises three key phases: dataset creation, computer vision techniques, and deep learning model development. A multi-class Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is designed to train and interpret the indigenous signs in Nigeria. The model is evaluated using a custom-built dataset of some selected indigenous words comprising of 15000 image samples. The experimental outcome shows excellent performance from the interpretation system, with accuracy attaining 95.67%.