British sign language (BSL) is the preferred language of 50-70,000 people in the UK. Developments in technology have lead to the possibility of animated or video presentations of BSL being available online. The eSIGN project has developed virtual sign language technology. Animations of signing played through an avatar are potentially an effective and economical way in which organisations can provide signing on their web sites and other screen based displays. User reactions to avatar signing have been studied, in order to gauge the comprehensibility and acceptability of this novel technology. Reactions were generally positive, although users' reports highlighted a number of areas where improvements to the animation and presentation are necessary.
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