An innovativedesign to enable effortless communication between users of spoken and sign language has scooped a prestigious international design award.

German designer Maxi Pantel was awarded a 5,000 prize by James Dyson, designer of the eponymous vacuum clearner, for "Senjo", a sign-language translator.

Derived from the Italian segno, meaning signs, the machine is a "wearable computer" designed to overcome communication barriers between the deaf and the non-deaf.

The "Senjo" uses sensors in a chest panel and on arm bands to interpret sign language into speech, played through loudspeakers in the device. Senjo simultaneously employs built-in cameras and speech recognition software to interpret speech back into sign language, which is projected onto a head-mounted display.

Pantel, a design graduate, developed the product and tested the design with the Hamburg Deaf Institute.

It beat out 13 other innovative designs to win the Dyson award, presented yesterday (WEDNESDAY may 9th) at the British embassy in Berlin.

"Maxi has developed a truly life changing product," said James Dyson. "Not only has she developed a unique product but she has demonstrated creativity and perseverance - essential for the success of future innovations."