If the language interpreter on stage at the Nelson Mandela memorial service was wearing this new device that I’m about to tell you about, we could have heard his signing in audible sounds. (Then again, maybe not. In case you haven’t heard, deaf people watching the service earlier this week said the interpreter’s signing was gestural gibberish.)

This may sound very futuristic, but there actually is a new Sign Language Bracelet with a set of rings that can translate sign language. The bracelet and rings use motion sensors and an LED display.

Sign language was always a big mystery to me. My niece Mara and grandnephew Ari can sign. When they showed me a few words, it made no sense to me. Still, I found it fascinating. Inspired by Buddhist prayer beads, some Asian students are developing the devices to solve the problem of communication for the hearing impaired.

Three rings are needed per hand to track the motions of the wearer’s hands and fingers. The translation then gets converted into spoken words, which are played by a speaker on the bracelet, worn by the listener. How awesome is that?

The bracelet also has a microphone inside to hear the words spoken so it can be translated into text. The text can then be displayed on an LED screen on the top of the bracelet.

Reports claim that the students already have text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies in place. Let’s hope this invention comes out real soon. We have a lot of interpreting to do.