An intelligent wristband capable of translating sign language into text, voice and images has debuted in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The watch-sized wristband captures the arm movements of hearing-impaired individuals by recognizing the surface electromyography (EMG) of the human body. It combines its readings with machine learning algorithms to translate gestures into voice, text and images.

The device was invented by a team of students at Northeastern University in Liaoning. Team member Zeng Zhen said the device is intended to help hearing-impaired people "find their own voices" and better communicate with others.

"Everything was worth it when we heard a user 'saying' 'Thank you'," said Zeng.

Compared with the former gesture-recognition method, EMG transmission does not require light and recognizes subtle finger movements, thus it can increase the accuracy of sign language recognition, according to Zeng.

"It's a self-correcting device. The more it's used, the more intelligent and accurate it will get," said Zeng.

The invention won a top prize at a major university student entrepreneurship competition in China and is expected to enter the market soon.

"We hope this product can enter mass production this year and that it can assist people with hearing impairments break their communication barriers," Zeng added. 

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