ABSTRACT
We
present an improved anatomically based approach to modeling the human hand for
use in the animation of
American Sign Language. The joint
rotations in the model are based on the bone and muscle configurations of the
hand, and a forward kinematic solution is used to position the hand.
In particular, we investigate the rotations of the base joint of the
thumb. This joint is a saddle joint
with non-trivial rotational axes and centers, and must be treated with care in
such a model.
We take advantage of several correlations
between joint rotations in the hand to reduce the number of degrees of freedom
in the model and provide a simple, intuitive and interactive interface for
American Sign Language handshape transcription.
Keywords:
Modeling, Animation, American Sign Language, Anatomically Based Modeling