India is home to an estimated 18 million Deaf people, and Indian Sign Language (ISL) is their first language. Yet almost no communication apps in India support sign language at all — most assistive technology is built for spoken or typed language, leaving Deaf users, Deaf-blind users, and people who lose speech but retain sign skills with nowhere to turn.
Voxetu now recognises Indian Sign Language. Sign a letter in front of your phone's camera and Voxetu types it — then speaks the finished word or sentence aloud. No gloves, no wearable sensors, no extra hardware. Just a phone and a hand.
How it works
Open Sign Language mode and hold your hand in front of the camera. Voxetu watches your hand shape and recognises which letter of the ISL alphabet you are signing — A through Z. Hold the gesture steady for a second and a half, and the letter types itself into the message box automatically.
⏱ Hold 1.5 seconds → letter types automatically, most accurate for beginners
⟳ Continuous → letters type instantly as you sign, for fast signers
👆 Manual tap → camera shows the detected letter, you confirm by tapping
Build up a word — H, E, L, P — then press Speak. Voxetu says "HELP" aloud. The detection happens entirely on the device. No video is recorded or sent anywhere.
Who this is for
Sign language recognition opens Voxetu to people who have never been served by typical AAC tools:
- Deaf-blind users who sign but whose hearing carers don't know ISL — Voxetu becomes the translator, speaking their signs aloud in real time.
- ALS and motor neurone disease patients who grew up signing — as a CODA (child of Deaf adults), or as someone who learned ISL earlier in life — and retain partial hand movement even after losing speech.
- ISL students and teachers who want instant feedback on whether a hand shape is correct, using the live confidence percentage shown on screen.
- Stroke survivors relearning communication, for whom sign gestures can sometimes be easier to recall than spoken words during early recovery.
A teacher's perspective
"I use Voxetu in my ISL classroom. A student signs a letter, the app types it, and they see immediately whether they got it right. One student's V showed 91% confidence, but his W only showed 43% — he instantly understood he needed to spread his fingers more. It's like having an instant coach in every student's pocket."
Built alongside Voxetu's other camera-based modes
Sign language joins blink mode and breath mode as Voxetu's third hands-free, hardware-free communication method — all using the same principle: your phone's existing camera and microphone, with detection running entirely on the device.
| Mode | Input | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 👁 Blink | Front camera, eye movement | ALS, locked-in syndrome |
| 🌬️ Breath | Microphone, breath control | No reliable eye or hand control |
| 🤟 Sign language | Front camera, hand gestures | ISL users, Deaf-blind, CODA |
What the caregiver sees
Every signed message appears in the caregiver dashboard exactly like any other communication mode — with a sign language icon, the full message, and the time it was sent.
| User signs | Voxetu speaks | Caregiver dashboard shows |
|---|---|---|
| H-E-L-P | "HELP" | 🤟 HELP · Sign language · 8:32 PM |
| W-A-T-E-R | "WATER" | 🤟 WATER · Sign language · 2:14 PM |
| P-A-I-N | "PAIN" | 🤟 PAIN · Sign language · 11:05 AM |
How to start
| Step | What to do | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open voxetu.com on any phone or tablet | 30 seconds |
| 2 | Open Sign Language mode from the app menu | 10 seconds |
| 3 | Allow camera access, hold hand in frame | 30 seconds |
| 4 | Sign a letter, hold steady for 1.5 seconds | 2 seconds per letter |
| 5 | Press Speak when your message is ready | Instant |
Sign language recognition is part of Voxetu's Pro plan, alongside blink mode, voice banking, and the full caregiver dashboard. The free plan still includes breath mode, the gaze keyboard, emotion board, and everything needed for first communication.
Sign your first word today
No gloves. No sensors. Just your phone's camera and your hands.
See Pro plan at voxetu.com →