Wrist mounted translator

A wrist mounted translation device being developed for the uniformed services has put Derby University in the running for a prestigious business innovation award.

Derby is one of five universities shortlisted in the Innovation in Development category of the first Lord Stafford Awards east Midlands, for its collaboration with Civil Defence Supply (CDS) of Lincoln.

The awards, established in 1997 in the West Midlands, recognise and encourage the development of collaborative relationships between businesses and universities. They are being held for the first time this year in the east Midlands.

Derby University design graduate Amin Ismail, born in Iraq, landed a job with CDS after designing the prototype for the AHKY - Arabic for ‘speak’ - a wrist mounted verbal translation device to help soldiers and uniformed civilians interpret key foreign phrases in emergency situations.

CDS is a multi-million pound company that supplies special operational equipment to police forces, NATO, the United Nations, the US DOD and the UK’s Ministry of Defence.