This app translates speech and text into sign language (thanks to 3D avatars and AI)

More than 70 million people worldwide use a sign language as their mother tongue, but the number of qualified interpreters is very limited, especially in certain geographic and social contexts. Out of that obvious gap was born Terp 360, an app developed by young Kenyan engineer Elly Savatia along with the team at Signvrse. Their goal is ambitious but clear: using artificial intelligence and 3D avatars to translate speech and text into sign language, making communication in everyday life more accessible.

The project grew out of a very concrete experience: classrooms with hundreds of deaf students and only one available interpreter. A situation that unfortunately is not an exception, but rather the norm in many parts of the world. Savatia recognized that technology could be a form of mediation, not to replace people, but to reduce a structural inequality. Early versions of Terp 360 were simple, almost experimental, but constant consultation with the deaf community allowed the app to evolve at lightning speed and now integrate more than 2,300 gestures.

How Terp 360 works today

The app relies on three main elements: a speech recognition engine, a system for automatic translation into sign language and 3D avatars designed to make movements more natural and legible. Unlike many previous solutions, Terp 360 places strong emphasis on fluid gestures and expressive accuracy, avoiding stiff or unrealistic movements. Testing with about 2,000 users yielded encouraging results and paves the way for a future rollout in countries such as Rwanda and Uganda, with applications in schools, hospitals, government offices and businesses.

Sign language should be taught in schools

The potential of Terp 360 is indisputable: the app can lower barriers, promote autonomy and make sign language more visible in public spaces. These tools are valuable, but equally important is that sign language be offered in education, starting in schools. Inclusion should depend not just on an app, but on a shared culture, where communicating with a deaf person is not an exception mediated by AI, but a widespread skill. Technology can support, but true inclusion also occurs through education.

(MP/©GreenMe.it/translation and adaptation: The Global Lifestyle/Illustration: Photos via Unsplash)