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Sixth Cohort Application Deadline: 

10/08/2025 23:59  

Sixth Cohort Application Deadline: 10/08/2025 23:59

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Funded Projects

Sign Language Translation AI

Hong Kong faces a severe shortage of Sign Language Interpreters, with only 50 registered interpreters to reach a quarter million people with hearing disabilities. Due to the limitation, interpreters need to be booked months in advance, and may be inaccessible due to high fees for some. This leads to a feeling of social exclusion for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as their needs for accessibility go unmet in social scenarios in their daily lives. To tackle this problem, we are building a Sign Language Translation AI using computer vision and AI technology. This solution can help meet the urgent unmet demands for Sign Language Interpreters for non-essential scenarios (social events, religious gatherings etc) to optimize the current backlogged booking procedure. Our solution will allow communities to adopt more socially inclusive communication channels, and foster an accessible and fair society.

Beneficiaries:
  • Person with Different abilities / with Disabilities
Service Types:
  • Community Development
Impact AI

Social Problem

The hearing impaired face numerous challenges in Hong Kong that hinder their ability to effectively communicate and access information. Sign language plays a crucial role in their day-to-day interactions, allowing them to communicate and gather information from the world around them. However, there are several barriers that make it difficult for them to obtain information and engage in effective communication.

Social Innovation

This project is pioneering the first-ever tech avatar solution for Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL). The use of an avatar enables seamless transitions between words when signing sentences, creating a more lifelike and easy-to follow experience for the hearing-impaired community.

The avatar's ability to fluently and accurately translate spoken language into HKSL is a significant breakthrough. By leveraging advanced language processing and machine learning, the system can capture the nuances and flow of sign language, providing a level of natural and intuitive communication that was previously unattainable.

Expected Social Impact

The overarching goal of this project is to significantly improve the quality of life and societal inclusion for the hearing impaired community in Hong Kong. By increasing the accessibility of information and communication through the use of a customized sign language avatar, we aim to empower this underserved population and enhance their participation in daily activities.

Business Model

Project Content

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