Real-Time Hand Gesture Recognition for

American Sign Language with sentence

formation using Random Forest and Keras Model
Tauheed Pasha C Tejas S Sandeep B
Department of CSE Department of CSE Department of CSE
BNM Institute of Technology, BNM Institute of Technology, BNM Institute of Technology,
Bengaluru, India Bengaluru, India Bengaluru, India
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Chaitra M Santosh Reddy Anitha N

Department of CSE Department of CSE Department of CSE
BNM Institute of Technology, BNM Institute of Technology, BNM Institute of Technology,
Bengaluru, India Bengaluru, India Bengaluru, India
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Abstract—In recent years, there has been a growing contemporary systems frequently grapple with issues related to
interest in leveraging machine learning and computer real-time performance, precision in gesture recognition, and
vision technologies to facilitate communication for user interface cohesiveness.
individuals with hearing impairments. This paper This paper introduces a pioneering system meticulously
presents a comprehensive system for American Sign engineered to address these challenges by integrating cutting-
Language (ASL) recognition using a combination of edge techniques from the fields of computer vision, machine
computer vision, machine learning, and text-to-speech learning, and natural language processing. Central to this
technologies. The system utilizes a real-time video feed framework is the utilization of MediaPipe, a robust tool for
from a webcam, processed through MediaPipe for hand hand landmark detection, which facilitates the accurate and
landmark detection, and a Random Forest classifier to efficient identification of ASL gestures within dynamic video
identify ASL gestures. The system is integrated with a streams. MediaPipe's advanced algorithms enable the system
user-friendly Streamlit interface that allows users to start to delineate complex hand movements with a high degree of
and stop the webcam feed, visualize predictions, and spatial and temporal resolution, crucial for effective sign
control the application through keyboard inputs. language interpretation.
Additionally, the system supports text-to-speech The system employs a Random Forest classifier, a
functionality using the pyttsx3 library to vocalize the sophisticated ensemble learning technique renowned for its
recognized ASL gestures. Data collection and model high classification accuracy and robustness against variability.
training are performed using a custom dataset of ASL This classifier adeptly handles the inherent complexities
signs, ensuring robust recognition across different hand associated with ASL, such as diverse hand shapes, varying
shapes and orientations. Experimental results orientations, and diverse environmental contexts. By
demonstrate the system's effectiveness in real-time ASL leveraging this classifier, the system ensures a reliable
recognition, with an emphasis on its potential for aiding categorization of gestures, thereby enhancing the overall
communication and accessibility for the deaf and hard-of- performance and user experience.
hearing community. In addition to its core recognition capabilities, the system
incorporates Streamlit to deliver an intuitive and user-friendly
Keywords— American Sign Language, Hand Gesture interface. This interface facilitates seamless interaction,
Recognition, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, enabling users to engage with the system with minimal effort
Streamlit, Text-to-Speech. and maximal efficiency. To further augment the system's
functionality, the integration of pyttsx3 for text-to-speech
synthesis translates recognized ASL gestures into audible
speech. This feature significantly amplifies the communicative
I. INTRODUCTION capacity of the system, making it a versatile tool for bridging
In recent years, the evolution of computational communication gaps.
methodologies has catalysed profound enhancements in The robustness of the system is underpinned by a carefully
human-computer interaction, particularly within the realm of curated dataset that encompasses a comprehensive range of
assistive technologies designed to aid individuals with sensory ASL signs. This dataset ensures that the system is capable of
impairments. Among these advancements, American Sign generalizing across various sign variations and adapting to
Language (ASL) has emerged as a focal point of research different user profiles. The efficacy of the system is evaluated
aimed at augmenting accessibility through sophisticated digital through rigorous empirical testing, focusing on key
interfaces. ASL, the principal mode of communication for the performance metrics such as recognition accuracy and real-
deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, presents unique time responsiveness.
challenges and opportunities in the domain of automated
gesture recognition. Despite notable advancements,
 By pushing the boundaries of ASL recognition technology, utilized by Leo Breiman (2001) [7]. Despite these
this study aims to make a substantial contribution to the advancements, balancing computational complexity with real-
ongoing discourse on accessibility and inclusivity. The time processing remains a critical consideration.
proposed system offers a scalable and adaptable solution with
significant potential for widespread application, both in 4. User Interface Design and Accessibility
personal settings and institutional environments, thereby
fostering greater integration and communication for the deaf User interface (UI) design has evolved to enhance accessibility
and hard-of-hearing communities. and user experience. Early graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for
ASL recognition, developed by M. Gokul and M. Wang
(2015), offered basic functionalities but lacked adaptability to
II. RELATED WORK real-time input and varied user needs [8]. Recent innovations,
such as web-based interfaces using Streamlit, have improved
The field of automated American Sign Language (ASL)
user engagement through more intuitive interaction. This
recognition has evolved significantly, driven by advancements
advancement is demonstrated by Hae-Jin Lee (2021) [9].
in computer vision, machine learning, and natural language
Despite these advancements, creating a universally accessible
processing. This section synthesizes pivotal contributions in
and user-friendly interface remains an ongoing challenge.
this domain, highlighting key methodologies, achievements,
and ongoing challenges.
5. Text-to-Speech Integration
1. Gesture Recognition Technologies The integration of text-to-speech (TTS) systems has
augmented the functionality of ASL recognition systems by
Early research in ASL recognition predominantly focused on
converting recognized gestures into spoken language.
static gesture analysis. A seminal work by Yann LeCun, Léon
Pioneering work by Z. Karni and P. Goodman (2019)
Bottou, Yoshua Bengio, and Patrick Haffner (1998) employed
explored TTS to enhance communicative efficacy, though
convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to classify ASL
challenges related to speech naturalness and synchronization
gestures from static images, achieving notable improvements
with real-time gesture recognition persisted [10]. Recent
in accuracy [1]. However, this approach was limited by its
improvements, such as those utilizing the pyttsx3 library, have
reliance on pre-captured images, which hindered real-time
made strides in TTS integration, yet issues related to speech
applications. To address the dynamic nature of ASL, Qing
synthesis quality and contextual appropriateness continue to be
Zhao and Yi Zhong (2018) introduced temporal convolutional
addressed [11].
networks (TCNs), enhancing sequential gesture recognition
[2]. Despite this advancement, their system faced challenges
6. Empirical Evaluation and Performance Metrics
with computational overhead and adaptability to varying hand
orientations and environmental conditions. Empirical evaluation has been crucial for assessing the
The evolution of gesture recognition further incorporated performance of ASL recognition systems. Research by Y.
temporal context through recurrent neural networks (RNNs), Zhang and W. Zhou (2021) focused on evaluating
as demonstrated by Jean Ponce and Jun Hu (2019). This recognition accuracy, real-time responsiveness, and user
approach underscored the importance of modeling sequential satisfaction through comprehensive performance metrics [12].
gesture data but struggled with computational inefficiencies These evaluations have provided valuable insights into the
and scalability [3]. effectiveness of various methodologies and technologies,
underscoring the need for continuous refinement to address
2. Hand Landmark Detection and Pose Estimation emerging challenges and practical use cases. While significant
advancements have been made in ASL recognition, persistent
Significant progress was made with hand landmark detection
challenges remain. This review highlights the progress
techniques. Early methodologies, such as those by Vladimir
achieved through technological and methodological
Blanz and Thomas Vetter (2003), utilized traditional pose
innovations, while also emphasizing the need for continued
estimation algorithms to extract hand keypoints, providing a
research to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of ASL
foundation for understanding hand movements [4]. The advent
communication.
of MediaPipe, as explored by Xiaoyang Zhang and Hanzi
Mao (2020), represented a paradigm shift. MediaPipe
combines hand landmarks with advanced pose estimation
III. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY
algorithms, offering enhanced accuracy and real-time
performance [5]. Nevertheless, challenges in maintaining To address the multifaceted challenges of American Sign
consistent recognition under variable lighting conditions and Language (ASL) recognition, we propose a sophisticated
hand occlusions persist. methodology that amalgamates cutting-edge computer vision,
machine learning, and natural language processing techniques.
3. Machine Learning Classifiers and Ensemble Methods Our approach is meticulously designed to enhance real-time
performance, classification accuracy, and user interaction,
Machine learning classifiers have been pivotal in gesture while addressing the limitations highlighted in existing
recognition. Support vector machines (SVMs), employed by literature.
Corinna Cortes and Vladimir Vapnik (1995), achieved
notable results in controlled environments but struggled with
1. System Architecture and Components
generalization across diverse user profiles and sign nuances
[6]. Ensemble methods, particularly Random Forest classifiers, The proposed system architecture is grounded in a modular
have shown promise in addressing these limitations. Random framework, encompassing four core components: the Hand
Forests leverage multiple decision trees to aggregate results, Landmark Detection Module, Gesture Classification Module,
offering robustness and accuracy. This method was effectively User Interface (UI) Module, and Text-to-Speech (TTS)
Synthesis Module. This modular design not only facilitates the communication. The TTS module is designed to synchronize
seamless integration of diverse technologies but also ensures seamlessly with the gesture recognition system, ensuring that
scalability and adaptability for various use cases. the translation from gestures to speech occurs in real-time and
• Hand Landmark Detection Module: This module utilizes maintains contextual relevance (Karan, 2020) [7][8].
advanced computer vision techniques for precise hand
tracking. 6. Dataset and Training
• Gesture Classification Module: Employs sophisticated The performance of the proposed system is underpinned by a
machine learning algorithms to interpret hand gestures. well-curated dataset encompassing a diverse range of ASL
• User Interface (UI) Module: Designed to offer an intuitive gestures. The dataset is meticulously designed to capture a
and interactive user experience. broad spectrum of sign variations and user profiles. Data
• Text-to-Speech (TTS) Synthesis Module: Converts augmentation techniques are employed to enhance the
recognized gestures into audible speech, enhancing dataset’s diversity and improve the model’s robustness.
communicative efficacy. Training involves rigorous hyperparameter tuning and cross-
validation to optimize the Random Forest classifier’s
2. Hand Landmark Detection Using MediaPipe performance and ensure reliable gesture recognition
Central to the system’s functionality is the Hand Landmark (Goodfellow et al., 2016) [9][10].
Detection Module, which leverages MediaPipe for real-time
hand tracking. MediaPipe, an advanced framework developed 7. Evaluation and Validation
by Google, deploys a convolutional neural network (CNN) to The effectiveness of the system is evaluated using a
identify and track 21 key hand landmarks with high accuracy. comprehensive set of metrics, including precision, recall, F1-
This module processes continuous video streams to extract score, and latency. Empirical evaluation is conducted through
spatial coordinates of these landmarks, facilitating the user studies and real-world testing to assess recognition
recognition of intricate ASL gestures. MediaPipe’s robust accuracy, real-time responsiveness, and user satisfaction.
performance in managing dynamic hand movements and These evaluations provide critical insights into the system’s
varying environmental conditions underscores its practical applicability and guide further refinements to
effectiveness in delivering accurate and reliable gesture enhance overall performance (Raji & Buolamwini, 2019)
detection (Zhang, 2020) [1][2]. [11][12].
3. Gesture Classification with Random Forest
The Gesture Classification Module is based on a Random
Forest classifier, an ensemble learning technique renowned for IV. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS AND RESULTS
its effectiveness in handling high-dimensional data and Experimental Setup
mitigating overfitting. Random Forest aggregates the outputs
of multiple decision trees to provide a consensus classification, To rigorously evaluate the performance of the proposed ASL
thereby enhancing the system’s accuracy and robustness. This recognition system, a comprehensive experimental
classifier is trained on a meticulously curated dataset of ASL framework was established encompassing both quantitative
gestures, accounting for variability in hand shapes, and qualitative assessments.
orientations, and environmental conditions. The approach is • Hardware Configuration: The experiments utilized a high-
designed to achieve optimal classification accuracy while resolution camera operating at 30 frames per second (fps)
ensuring responsive real-time performance (Breiman, 2001) for real-time video streams. Computational tasks were
[3][4]. handled by an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and
an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, facilitating efficient
4. User Interface Development Using Streamlit processing of computer vision and machine learning tasks
(Zhang & Mao, 2020; Cortes & Vapnik, 1995). This setup
The User Interface (UI) Module is developed using Streamlit, ensured sufficient computational power for real-time gesture
a contemporary framework for creating interactive web recognition tasks, crucial for interactive applications.
applications. Streamlit enables the design of a user-friendly
interface that integrates real-time video streaming, gesture • Dataset: A diverse dataset comprising 5,000 annotated ASL
recognition feedback, and gesture classification results. Its gestures was used for training and testing. This dataset
framework allows for rapid prototyping and iterative covered various hand shapes, orientations, and
development, ensuring that the UI remains responsive to user environmental conditions, partitioned into training (70%),
feedback and evolving requirements. Streamlit’s capability to validation (15%), and test (15%) subsets to assess model
facilitate intuitive and engaging user interactions is generalizability (Zhang & Mao, 2020; Lee, 2021).
instrumental in enhancing the overall user experience (Lee, Annotated data allowed for robust training of the ASL
2021) [5][6]. recognition model, capturing variability in gesture execution
and environmental factors.
5. Text-to-Speech Synthesis with pyttsx3
To augment the communicative functionality of the system, • Evaluation Metrics: Primary metrics included gesture
the Text-to-Speech (TTS) Synthesis Module incorporates the recognition accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Real-
pyttsx3 library. Pyttsx3 is selected for its high-quality speech time processing latency, crucial for system responsiveness,
synthesis and broad compatibility with various platforms. This was also measured in milliseconds (Breiman, 2001;
component is responsible for converting recognized ASL Goodfellow et al., 2016; Shorten & Khoshgoftaar, 2019).
gestures into audible speech, thus enabling effective
 These metrics provided comprehensive insights into both • Gesture Recognition and Execution: Recognized gestures
the accuracy and efficiency of the ASL recognition system are subsequently translated into commands. Depending on
the gesture identified, users can execute various actions such
Experimental Procedure as letter concatenation or speech conversion. This
functionality is facilitated by command execution for
The experimental procedure was designed to systematically
sentence formation, allowing users to form sentences from
evaluate the ASL recognition system, as outlined in the
individual gestures.
flowchart (Figure 1):
• Live Hand Gesture Capture: The process begins with the
• User Interface and Feedback: The user interface is
capture of live hand gestures using a high-resolution camera.
designed to provide immediate visual and auditory
This step is critical for ensuring that the system can
feedback, enhancing user interaction. The integration of
accurately detect and interpret dynamic hand movements in
Streamlit enables an intuitive and responsive interface,
real time.
allowing users to seamlessly interact with the system and
receive instant feedback on recognized gestures (Lee, 2021;
• Hand Detection and Preprocessing: Following capture,
Karan, 2020).
the system employs sophisticated hand detection algorithms
to isolate hand regions from the video frames. Preprocessing
Results and Analysis
techniques are then applied to enhance the quality and
consistency of the input data, addressing variations in The experimental results:
lighting and background noise. Fig 4.2, shows the user interacting with the real-time hand
gesture recognition system. The user's hand is annotated with
• Feature Extraction: Key features from the preprocessed key points representing the detected hand landmarks. The
hand images are extracted using advanced computer vision recognized gesture corresponds to the American Sign
techniques. This step involves identifying crucial aspects of Language (ASL) representation for the letter 'R', forming part
the hand posture and movement, which are essential for of the phrase "OK SIR" displayed on the screen.
accurate gesture recognition.

• Recognition: The extracted features are input into a trained

Keras model, leveraging a Random Forest classifier to
perform gesture recognition. The model maps the input
features to a predefined gesture in the sign language
dictionary (Breiman, 2001; Chen, 2018). This recognition
process is the core computational task of the system,
determining the gesture being performed.

Fig 4.2: Real-Time Hand Gesture Recognition Interface

Fig 4.3, depicts the graphical user interface of the ASL hand
gesture recognition system. The system has successfully
recognized the gesture 'R', and the phrase "OK SIR" is
displayed in the 'Sentence' section. The user's hand is
annotated with key points to show the detected landmarks.

Figure 1: Flow Chart on how hand gesture recognition model Fig 4.3: Interface for ASL Hand Gesture Recognition
works.
Fig 4.4, Illustrates the real-time ASL hand gesture recognition which demonstrates its effectiveness in interpreting a broad
system forming the sentence "GOOD MORNING". The spectrum of ASL gestures. The Random Forest classifier, in
interface displays the gesture 'G' recognized by the system, conjunction with a meticulously curated dataset, ensures
and the corresponding sentence is updated in the 'Sentence' robust performance despite variability in hand shapes and
section. The user's hand landmarks are annotated to show the environmental conditions. Moreover, the system's real-time
detection accuracy. processing capability, with an average latency of 75
milliseconds, facilitates immediate feedback, essential for
practical communication applications.

The user interface, designed using Streamlit, has proven to be

both intuitive and responsive, contributing to a high user
satisfaction rate. This design enhances practical usability and
ease of integration into daily life. The successful
implementation of this framework not only advances ASL
recognition technology but also sets the stage for future
research into supporting additional sign languages and
optimizing performance across diverse environments. By
bridging communication gaps and promoting inclusivity, this
Fig 4.4: Sentence Formation in ASL Hand Gesture work makes a significant contribution to the field of assistive
Recognition technologies and lays a foundation for future innovations.

Gesture Recognition Accuracy: The Random Forest

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