Roy Allela is a 25-year-old Kenyan engineer who has recently received recognition for inventing smart gloves that allow sign language to be translated into audio speech via an Android application. Now with the help of Sign-IO, Allela’s niece can simply wear the gloves, pair it with any Android that has the mobile application, and start communicating. “My niece wears the gloves, pairs them to her phone or mine, then starts signing and I’m able to understand what she’s saying,” Allela says.