Washington ? An electronic glove that can turn American Sign Language gestures into spoken words or text, designed to help the deaf communicate more easily with the hearing world, is under development.

Researcher Jose Hernandez-Rebollar of George Washington University has demonstrated that his “AcceleGlove” can translate the rapid hand movements used to make the alphabet and some of the words and phrases of sign language.

His is not the only such experimental device; the military is exploring similar technology to silently help soldiers in combat. But Hernandez-Rebollar says his invention goes further than others because it also can translate into spoken words and simple sentences some of the more complex arm and body motions of ASL.

The 34-year-old native of Mexico came to Washington through the Fulbright Program, which makes grants for graduate students, teachers and others to study abroad. His field is electrical engineering, and the sensor-studded glove was his doctoral engineering project.

Not deaf himself, Hernandez-Rebollar said his invention was driven by a desire to help others live fuller lives.

“I want to produce something that deaf people can use in everyday life,” he said.

The AcceleGlove is a wearable computer with super-small electronic circuitry. Sensors in the glove work with a micro-controller attached to the wearer’s arm, mapping the placement and movement of the arm and fingers. That information is turned into data a computer can read and convert to words heard from a loudspeaker or read on a computer screen.

Some further testing is needed, Hernandez-Rebollar said. He believes the right hand glove could be manufactured and on the market next year, while a two-handed version could be ready in 2005.

Jose Hernandez-Rebollar demonstrates his AcceleGlove, an electronic glove that translates sign language into written and spoken form. The glove could be on the market in the next year.