SIGNFLOW

Intelligent Ecosystem for Communication and Learning in Sign Language

Financed by ALGARVE 2030, Portugal 2030 and by the European Union,

Project Reference: 27702 Operation Code: ALGARVE-FEDER-03682900

Promotor FLOW WITH US , co-promotor University of the Algarve (ISE)

1.july.2025 to 30.june.2029

Project Synopsis

SIGNFLOW is an applied research and innovation project aimed at developing advanced artificial intelligence technologies for real-time, bidirectional translation between sign language and spoken or written language. The project addresses a critical societal challenge: overcoming communication barriers between deaf and hearing individuals across everyday, educational, and professional contexts.

The project combines expertise in artificial intelligence, computer vision, natural language processing, and human-computer interaction to create a multimodal AI ecosystem capable of understanding and generating sign language in real time. SIGNFLOW integrates visual perception (gesture recognition), linguistic modeling, and contextual reasoning to enable accurate and natural communication across modalities. A core innovation of SIGNFLOW is the development of a continuous learning framework, allowing the system to expand its vocabulary and improve performance through real-world usage. This is complemented by a bidirectional translation pipeline, supporting both sign-to-text/voice and text/voice-to-sign translation, with low latency suitable for live interactions.

The project also introduces expressive 3D avatars to render sign language outputs in a natural and interpretable way, and a digital learning platform to support the acquisition of sign language through adaptive and interactive methods.

Beyond its scientific and technological contributions, SIGNFLOW is expected to generate strong societal impact by improving accessibility and inclusion for deaf communities, while also creating new opportunities in the accessibility technology market. The project will contribute to knowledge generation through scientific publications, training of researchers, and development of innovative products and services.Funded under the Algarve 2030 programme, SIGNFLOW positions itself at the intersection of AI innovation and social impact, aiming to advance both the state of the art in multimodal artificial intelligence and the quality of human communication.

UAlg's Team

The University of Algarve is a key research partner in the SIGNFLOW project, contributing expertise in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and multimodal systems. The team plays a central role in the development of core AI models, system architecture, and scientific validation.