Future iPAQs May Be Able to Translate Street Signs

[Ed Hardy]

Researchers are developing systems that will allow handhelds with digital cameras to take pictures of signs in foreign languages and have the text translated into English.

Read more at http://www.brighthand.com/article/Tr...s_with_an_iPAQ

let's see cell phone in one hand talking to hotel you are looking for. pda in other hand taking pictures of street signs so you know where you are going. all done at 100 kph.

screeeech, crash!

will they make you sign a waiver

[JK27]

Aren't street signs supposed to be understandable by all people without regard to the language they speak/read?

[leighj]

I think this will be great for visiting foreign countries (particularly when the character set is completely different from your native language like Japanese vs. English) - like reading railroad maps or street signs - although I think the cell phone is a more feasible solution. The present cell phones have built in cameras and they already have wireless access. All they need is extra processor power if OCR is used.

[Ed Hardy]

I went to Paris last spring and though I enjoyed the Louvre, I would have enjoyed it much more if I could have read the descriptions posted next to the paintings, sculptures, etc. They will really have something if HP or IBM can either get this working over a cellular-wireless connection or have the translation happen on the handheld itself.

Another thing it would be great to get a quick translation of would be a menu.

[Mark One]

More bullhype. Quite surprised BH picked this up.

The article is total blue sky - I can only imagine that the son of the news editor's friend is trying to attract some investment.

In 3-4 years I may have a reliable midband net connection to my ipaq in the car and they may have some half way decent OCR capabilities. A year or two after that it may be possible to implement a system like this.

Until then unreliable connectivity and translating a croatian "give way" sign as "turn right over cliff edge" is unlikely to win many fans.

"Phrase books and dictionaries are already becoming increasingly redundant with the growing popularity of gadgets which translate as you talk or type. "

What nonsense - every tried speech recognition on a handheld. And the translation it provides is more likely to get you slapped that directions to the nearest hoverport.

Gah - thought we'd seen the end of this sort of tripe a few years ago.

[NightShade737]

Originally posted by Mark One
More bullhype. Quite surprised BH picked this up.

The article is total blue sky - I can only imagine that the son of the news editor's friend is trying to attract some investment.

In 3-4 years I may have a reliable midband net connection to my ipaq in the car and they may have some half way decent OCR capabilities. A year or two after that it may be possible to implement a system like this.

Until then unreliable connectivity and translating a croatian "give way" sign as "turn right over cliff edge" is unlikely to win many fans.

"Phrase books and dictionaries are already becoming increasingly redundant with the growing popularity of gadgets which translate as you talk or type. "

What nonsense - every tried speech recognition on a handheld. And the translation it provides is more likely to get you slapped that directions to the nearest hoverport.

Gah - thought we'd seen the end of this sort of tripe a few years ago.

Considdering how bad Desktop recognition is even with extensive training, I cant see mobile devices having even remotely accurate VR, i.e. a Desktop Translation -

"It is a nice day and the sun is shining"

"It it tree obsticle beach carrot and and and in of ship off sharp radiator"

Also the quality of Phone camera are not good enough to be able to accurately translate things, as even scanners using OCR have a hard enough time.

NS