World Report: March 1, 2002 Vol.7 No.18
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
Breaking Sound Barriers
Give Ryan Patterson, 18, a hand! He turned an ordinary golf glove into the Sign Language Translator, a device that electronically turns sign language letters into text. "I [wanted] to make life easier" for the hearing–impaired, says the young inventor from Grand Junction, Colorado. The glove detects hand motions and translates them into letters that appear on a small, cell-phone-size screen. The invention earned Patterson a $100,000 scholarship in the Siemens Westinghouse Science and Technology competition in December. Patterson is busy developing a "more powerful" version of his glove. He hopes it will be available for sale soon.
