Kenyan Innovator Wins Prestigous Engineering Prize For Sign Language Translation App
Elly Savatia, a Kenyan inventor and social entrepreneur, has won the Africa 2025 Engineering Innovation Prize founded by the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering. He won the award for Terp 360, an AI-powered app that translates speech into sign language using lifelike 3D avatars, along with a £50,000 ($67,000) grant.
Terp 360: A Sign Language Translation App
Terp 360 offers real-time sign language interpretation, facilitating smooth communication between deaf and hearing individuals across both physical and digital settings. Using 3D avatars and motion-capture technology, it delivers natural, accessible, and immersive interactions.
Terp 360 started as a basic Unity-based application that could interpret the sign language alphabet and a small set of words. However, early user feedback showed that the movements appeared too mechanical, underscoring the need for a more natural and fluid signing experience.
His team at his startup, Signvrse, partnered with deaf and hard-of-hearing Kenyans to capture over 2,300 signs covering common words and phrases to make the app’s avatar more natural, expressive, and relatable.
Kenyan Innovator Elly Savatia
Terp 360 is the flagship product of Signvrse, a company co-founded and led by Savatia in 2023, according to Wearetech. The startup uses AI and inclusive design to eliminate communication barriers for the Deaf community. By integrating real-time sign language into digital platforms, it enhances access to education, healthcare, and public services.
Before founding Signvrse, Savatia co-founded Veezaviz in 2021, a startup dedicated to developing assistive communication technologies for Deaf and hearing communities, where he served as CEO until 2022.
Beyond his entrepreneurial work, Savatia serves as the founder and president of Innovate 4 SDGs, a nonprofit that empowers youth to take action on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He is also a One Young World ambassador and a Youthtopia Circle member, actively promoting youth leadership and civic engagement.
Savatia has received multiple honors for his work, including the Artificial Intelligence for Africa Challenge (2022) by UK Tech Hub, the Kenya Drone Business Competition Challenge (2023) by the US Embassy in Nairobi, and the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Innovation for Sustainable Development Award.
Image: Royal Academy of Engineering
