Varsity students develop software to bridge communication gap for hearing impaired

Two undergraduate students of Plaksha University have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software, Indri.yeah, to help the hearing impaired and those who are not proficient in sign language overcome communication barriers.

The software is developed by ‘Thinklude’, a start-up led by Prerit Rathi (founder and chief executive officer) and Pranjal Rastogi (co-founder and chief technical officer), both undergraduate students of the university. It focuses on providing seamless and mass interpretation by converting speech into the Indian sign language (ISL) and vice versa using advanced generative techniques and computer vision.

“It’s a licensable software and set to be launched soon in the market after pilot testing,” said Rathi.

“It was a tough call to work on the project given that we are first-time entrepreneurs at the age of 20 and managing bachelor’s degree in engineering. We faced challenges managing both tasks — building a start-up and doing good in academics. As student entrepreneurs, getting your story heard and being taken seriously is not as easy as it may be for a full-time entrepreneur,” he added.

When asked about how they managed funds, the youngster put a wide smile to hide the struggle he had faced in developing the software. He said he was lucky to get support from the family and certain companies. “We had to go through a lot of programmes and early-stage venture capital (VC) process to eventually land our first cheque. We are actively holding a pre-seed funding round and seeking investments,” he added.

According to a study, India has the world’s largest population of the deaf and mute, approximately 63 million. However, there are only 314 certified Indian sign language interpreters. Amid this shortage of interpreters, 68 per cent population of the hearing-impaired feels socially isolated, shares Thinklude.

“During conversations with stakeholders for a market research, we found out that a majority of the deaf individuals in India face problems in communication on a daily basis,” added Rastogi.

The project has won the National Innovation Dialogue event of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India, and the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog in the category of top-startup in disability assistance technology in 2024. The product targets to help 10 million hearing impaid persons across the nation within the first quarter of its launch.

Acute shortage of interpreters

India has world’s largest population of the deaf and mute, about 63 million. However, there are only 314 certified Indian sign language interpreters. Amid this shortage of interpreters, 68% population of the hearing-impaired feels socially isolated.