🎥 Bodycam vs Drone vs AI Robot — The Future of Sign Language Accessibility
- Tim Scannell
- Oct 1
- 1 min read
As a Deaf BSL user who wears a bodycam, I’ve thought a lot about how technology could better capture sign language communication for accessibility and evidence.
Here’s a quick breakdown of three options:
1. Bodycam 🎥
Pros:
Worn on your body, capturing what you see.
Simple and portable.
Cons:
Misses “middle zone” — your hands and signing are often out of frame.
Limited to one fixed perspective.
Audio-focused; not designed for sign language.
2. Drone 🛸
Pros:
Flexible, can hover and change angles.
Good for wide outdoor coverage.
Cons:
Noisy and intrusive.
Limited battery life and weather dependent.
Legal restrictions in public areas.
Less effective indoors.
3. AI Robot Camera 🤖 (The Future)
Pros:
Follows you automatically indoors and outdoors.
Adjusts angles in real time to capture hands and facial expressions.
Stable filming, quieter operation.
Designed specifically for accessibility and sign language.
Cons:
Emerging technology — not widely available yet.
Potential cost and size concerns.
Requires charging.
💭 My vision: An AI Robot Camera could be the missing piece - a “dashcam for Deaf communication” that gives full coverage, better evidence, and hands-free accessibility.
It’s time to design technology that understands sign language as a visual language - not just sound.
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