Sign language in virtual reality really looks cool

For example, members of the deaf community are now using sign language in virtual reality using the increasingly sophisticated hand-tracking technology of modern headsets.
This is a compelling use case for technology that makes it easy to communicate in virtual worlds for those who grew up with sign language as their first language, those who develop hearing problems later in life, and anyone who uses gestures.
Meta recently added hand tracking to their Quest 2 headset, allowing users to recreate sign language more realistically. Last week, popular VR app VRchat used the technology to add finger tracking, a new layer of accessibility that allows users to use sign language on the app, as seen in a video posted online.
Jenny is part of Helping Hands, a virtual sign language community of 5,000 volunteers who teach others how to use the technology to communicate virtually with other members of the community.
Quest 2′s hand tracking is a major upgrade from Valve’s Index VR headset, which previously forced users to come up with alternatives to conventional signs in sign language. For example, as Jenny demonstrated in the UploadVR video, users had to rotate their entire wrist to mimic the interlacing of two fingers.
But Quest 2 relies on a suite of cameras, not sensors, to track finger movements to better express nimble movements.
“As you can see, it probably looks smoother and smoother,” she told UploadVR. “That’s because the camera is really just looking at my actual hand, rather than the controller guessing and filling in the gaps.”
“After all these years of all the controllers being very rigid, it’s really amazing, it’s a little weird to be honest,” she added.
While this is a major upgrade, the technology still has many limitations. For example, users cannot touch their own bodies with their virtual hands, which is required to sign many words in American Sign Language.
But it’s still a step forward, and it proves that there are plenty of other great uses for virtual reality beyond attending tedious boardroom meetings and impersonating a cartoonish legless avatar.
“I think one of the biggest benefits of VRChat for everyone, especially the deaf and hard of hearing, is connecting with anyone around the world,” Jennie said in the video. “This is especially important for people who are deaf and hard of hearing because they are more likely to isolate, which is very important.”