In 2021, we’ve seen Filipino students develop a sign language-to-speech glove for their thesis. This time, a group of engineering students defended their thesis, which could produce the opposite output — converting speech to sign language using a robotic hand.
Computer Engineering students from De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) developed “VoiceGest: A Voice Recognition for Speech-Enabled and Hearing-Impaired Interaction for Teaching” for their thesis, an assistive robotic hand capable of translating speech to Filipino Sign Language (FSL).
The team was comprised of fourth-year students Althea Lat, Alexie Shane Lenesses, and Nathaneal Malabanan, with their thesis adviser Engr. Imelda Martin.
The team’s experience in their community of Malvar, Batangas, where local Special Education (SPED) schools lacked teachers, inspired them to create the project. This project aims to make education more inclusive for students with hearing and speech impairments.
VoiceGest is made up of a 3D-printed robotic hand mounted on a platform that houses its power supply and a Bluetooth module for wireless transmission to its custom-made mobile app. The app includes voice recognition and touch-based control that trigger hand gestures representing numbers, letters, and basic FSL words.
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Engr. Martin said that the device is intuitive and straightforward to use, where users can tell the mobile app the words and the robotic hand will form the sign language for letters. Aside from speech-to-sign language translation, users may also input letters using the mobile app, making the VoiceGest a dual-input device.
The cost of the project is estimated to be just Php15,000 to Php20,000, much cheaper than comparable commercially available technologies. Their biggest resource, said the researchers, was their knowledge and commitment.
Future plans for the device include patenting the technology and working on upgrades, such as adding audio feedback to the mobile app and expanding the robot’s gesture vocabulary. The robotic hand was currently able to replicate 25 out of 27 degrees of motion in a human hand.
A quick Google search also revealed that the VoiceGest entered and won the Murata Robolution 2025 robotics competition under the Freestyle Category, representing De La Salle Lipa on March 10, 2025.
The current version of the project has only one hand, which has some limitations for more complex words, but it is a great starting point for further research in the field.
The device can also open other opportunities and functionalities for use in hospitals, public institutions, and customer service environments.
“Our goal is to promote inclusivity and we hope it serves as a bridge to better communication and understanding,” said Lat.