LONDON (AP) - Hadeel Ayoub slips a black glove onto her hand before beginning the swish of sign language that is meaningless to the untrained observer.

Then she pushes a button on her wrist, and a small speaker relays the message drawn in the air: "Let's Dance!" The 36-year-old inventor, who is developing her BrightSign glove while working toward a Ph.D., says: "My dream is to give a voice to those who can't speak,.' Ayoub's glove is just one example of a bigger trend as entrepreneurs, startups and companies like Microsoft and Google try to harness the power of artificial intelligence to make life easier for people with disabilities.

The initiatives come as the World Health Organization estimates that the number of people needing assistive devices will double to 2 billion by 2050.

VIDEO: Entrepreneurs, startups and big companies are harnessing the power of technology to make life easier for people with disabilities. Read more from @DanicaKirka: https://t.co/ZCS5z3vSjb pic.twitter.com/EKkaoaxN81

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— AP Business News (@APBusiness) September 13, 2018