Huawei launches app to help deaf children learn to read

China's telecommunication giant Huawei has launched an Android app called StorySign that will make it easier for deaf children and their parents to read bedtime stories.

　　The app's lead avatar, named Star. [Screenshot from huawei.com]

Powered by a Huawei AI engine and featuring an avatar called Star, the app uses image and optical character recognition to help deaf children to read by turning written text into a display of sign language. Users can also choose a book from the app's book library that is then displayed in sign language using animated characters. The first book on the StorySign platform is the popular children's book "Spot the Dog".

The developers aimed to make the app's main character Star appealing to both boys and girls by making her an older-sister type of character with a tomboy style. Star also wears a hearing aid.

　　The StorySign interface. [Screenshot from huawei.com]

"We created StorySign to help make it possible for families with deaf children to enjoy an enriched story time," said Andrew Garrihy, Huawei's CMO for Western Europe. "We hope that by raising awareness of deaf literacy issues, people will be encouraged to donate to or support one of the fantastic charity partners we are working with across Europe."

There are approximately 32 million deaf children around the world. Many struggle to learn to read, often due to a lack of resources that bridge the gap between sign language and written text. The app gives deaf children a tool that its creators hope will make it easier for them to read.

The app can be downloaded from app stores in 10 different languages, including English, French, German, and Italian.