A University of the Highlands and Islands student is developing groundbreaking AI technology to enable real-time conversations between sign language users and those who don’t sign – using just a smartphone camera.
Christopher Kaan Caudwell’s ‘Gestura’ uses cloud-based AI to translate sign language into speech and speech back into sign language – which could help in hospitals, banks, and public transport where interpreters are often unavailable.
Kaan Caudwell’s innovation scooped the top KickStart prize and The Data Lab Early-Stage Award at this year’s Converge Awards yesterday, earning £15,000 total to develop the tool that could transform accessibility for millions of people worldwide.
Unlike existing solutions that require expensive hardware or specialist equipment, Gestura operates through any smartphone camera, making it accessible to users anywhere.
Kaan Caudwell, said: “We’re building an app which translates British Sign Language and English in real time. A deaf person signs into the camera, and our app translates it into spoken English. The hearing person replies and it gets instantly translated into British Sign Language through a 3D avatar.”
The technology addresses a critical communication gap, with the app offered free for individuals while providing a paid version for organisations. This approach aims to reduce barriers and support independence for sign language users in situations where professional interpreters cannot be accessed.
The awards announcement comes as Converge secures its largest-ever funding commitment of £1.26 million from the Scottish Funding Council over the next three years, alongside a new strategic partnership with Scottish Enterprise to create enhanced pathways for university entrepreneurs from concept to commercial success.
Adam Kosterka, executive director of Converge, said: “At Converge, we believe Scotland’s universities are home to the next generation of world-changing innovations. This year’s winners exemplify exactly what’s possible when brilliant academic minds are equipped with the business expertise and networks to transform their ideas into commercially successful, impactful companies.
“With our new record funding from the Scottish Funding Council and strategic partnership with Scottish Enterprise, we’re creating an even stronger foundation to support university entrepreneurs on their journey from laboratory to market. Together with Scotland’s universities and our corporate supporters, we’re building an innovation ecosystem where transformative ideas can flourish into the businesses that will define our future economy.”
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Coming hot off the heels of the Scottish Government’s Proof of Concept funding this increased, multi-year backing for the Converge Programme provides a real injection of support for our university researchers, startups and spin-outs. Critically, it also brings added weight to our ambition to convert more of the world-leading innovations being generated in Scotland into successful business.
“To ensure we capitalise on the innovation and ingenuity within our academic institutions, it is vital that we work together across organisations and across sectors to create a supportive environment for our spinouts to start-up and scale-up. I am delighted that a strategic partnership between Converge and Scottish Enterprise is being developed, helping drive the joined-up support required to help our university entrepreneurs thrive.”
Converge is funded by the Scottish Funding Council, a network of seven corporate partners and all 19 of Scotland’s universities. Since its launch in 2011, the programme has trained over 830 aspiring founders and supported the creation of over 450 companies that enjoy an above-average three-year survival rate of over 86%, according to data published by Beauhurst last month.
