Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (BEUN) Faculty of Engineering students have developed a technological solution to the difficulties faced by hearing and speech impaired individuals in communication. The “ELITISIM Project” developed by Elif İlke Gedük, Taha Yasin Keskin and Mustafa Arslan, 4th year students of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, received great appreciation in the national and local press with its “smart communication glove” that translates sign language into audio and text in real time.
The project, which emerged as a result of five months of intensive work by Mustafa Arslan, Elif İlke Gedük and Taha Yasin Keskin, students of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, is signing an important awareness. The glove, equipped with flexible sensors and motion detectors, integrates an Android-based application. Thanks to this system, gestures made in sign language are detected and converted into written and audio output. The system, which works with an accuracy rate of 91%, can also provide voice translation in different languages such as English and French in addition to Turkish. The project is an important example of the combination of social sensitivity and engineering science by offering a technological solution to the communication difficulties faced by hearing and speech impaired individuals in daily life.
Mustafa Arslan, a 4th year student of BEUN Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and member of the project team, explained the project they developed in the following words:
“The communication experiences that I had difficulty in establishing with individuals with speech impairments in my professional life inspired this project. We started with the question of how these people communicate in daily life and wanted to overcome this barrier with technology. ELITISIM is not just a device, but a bridge that offers access to all members of society. Thanks to the glove we call 'ELITISIM', which converts sign language into sound and writing, disabled individuals can continue to communicate in sign language as they wish, while the other person can receive this message instantly, either audibly or in writing. This project is designed to enable disabled people to take part in social and business life equally, quickly and freely. We wanted to use technology for people, with people and on behalf of people. This project is a product of our effort to use our place in this world to create a more inclusive, more egalitarian and more sensitive society.”
Commenting on the project, Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer, Rector of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, congratulated the students and made the following statements about the subject:
“Universities are not only knowledge production centers, but also academic science production houses that produce solutions to social problems and innovations that touch lives. This project developed by our students is one of the best examples of using science for the benefit of humanity. 'ELITISIM' is a very valuable work that sheds light on the difficulties experienced by disabled individuals in communication and contributes to their becoming more active and free individuals in social life.”
Prof. Dr. Özölçer underlined that the success of the project team is not only a technical achievement, but also an indicator of social sensitivity and human-oriented thinking, and said, “The fact that our young people take on a responsibility that will set an example for the society and raise awareness with this project makes us both proud and hopeful. We will always support our students in developing and completing their projects. With these feelings and thoughts, I sincerely congratulate our esteemed students Mustafa Arslan, Elif İlke Gedük and Taha Yasin Keskin, who make us proud with their entrepreneurship and innovative ideas, and wish them continued success.
The ELITISIM team, which sets out with the understanding that “Technology is not just for progress, but for progress together”, aims to complete their projects in the coming period and deliver this product to a wider audience.
