EPICS Deaf Kids Code (DKC)

DKC (Deaf Kids Code) is one of over 40 EPICS teams! We pride ourselves in our strong student leadership and inclusive environment. We create meaningful products with opportunities for everyone from first-years with no background, but a willingness to learn, to highly-technical seniors. This semester, our projects are KTT, CLIME, and ALT. KTT (Keep The Tempo) is working to develop a training device for deaf and hard of hearing swimmers. Hearing swimmers often use a commercial Tempo Trainer to help them keep a steady stroke pace, or to work on developing a faster stroke pace. The device is worn under their swim cap and beeps at the pace set by the coach. The project primarily involves PCB design and Electrical Engineering, coding for Arduino, CAD, and materials for waterproofing. CLIME (Communication in Loud Manufacturing Environments) is a new project that started in the fall semester of 2023. CLIME aims to help workers in factories communicate when there is noise around them. Factories are very loud and cause many issues with regards to hearing, so it’s important that factory workers can communicate while still being able to wear hearing protection. The project leverages AI and ML libraries, specifically sound classification and LMMs (Large Language Models), implementing models to detect and caption sounds like alarms, pipes falling, and workers talking in real time. ALT seeks to leverage technology to empower deaf & HoH students. ALT reaches asynchronous, remote environments on an international scale through the full-stack development of a website meant to standardize the ASL video creation process for Khan Academy. ALT reaches synchronous, in-person classrooms by promoting the standardization of closed captions.