Universität Bielefeld - Sonderforschungsbereich 360

CHAMELEON:
A platform for developing Intelligent MultiMedia applications

Paul Mc Kevitt

Visiting Professor
Center for PersonKommunikation (CPK),
Aalborg University, DENMARK
& EPSRC Advanced Fellow
Department of Computer Science,
University of Sheffield, ENGLAND

Monday, November 30th, 1998, 16 Uhr c.t., Hörsaal 9

Intelligent MultiMedia (IntelliMedia) focusses on the computer processing and understanding of signal and symbol input from at least speech, text and visual images in terms of semantic representations. We have developed a general suite of tools in the form of a software and hardware platform called "CHAMELEON" that can be tailored to conducting IntelliMedia in various application domains. CHAMELEON has an open distributed processing architecture and currently includes ten agent modules: blackboard, dialogue manager, domain model, gesture recogniser, laser system, microphone array, speech recogniser, speech synthesiser, natural language processor, and a distributed Topsy learner. Most of the modules are programmed in C and C++ and are glued together using the DACS communications system. In effect, the blackboard, dialogue manager and DACS form the kernel of CHAMELEON. Modules can communicate with each other and the blackboard which keeps a record of interactions over time via semantic representations in frames. Inputs to CHAMELEON can include synchronised spoken dialogue and images and outputs include synchronised laser pointing and spoken dialogue.

An initial prototype application of CHAMELEON is an "IntelliMedia WorkBench" where a user will be able to ask for information about things (e.g. 2D/3D models, pictures, objects, gadgets, people, or whatever) on a physical table. The current domain is a "Campus Information System" for 2D building plans which provides information about tenants, rooms and routes and can answer questions like ``Whose office is this?'' and ``Show me the route from Paul Mc Kevitt's office to Paul Dalsgaard's office.'' in real time. CHAMELEON and the IntelliMedia WorkBench are ideal for testing integrated signal and symbol processing of language and vision for the future of SuperinformationhighwayS.

Biography:
Paul Mc Kevitt is 34 and from D/un Na nGall (Donegal), IRELAND on the Northwest of the EU. He is a Visiting Professor of Intelligent MultiMedia Computing at Aalborg University, Denmark and a British EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) Advanced Fellow in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England. The Fellowship, commenced in 1994, and releases him from his Associate Professorship (tenured Lecturership) for 5 years to conduct full-time research on the integration of natural language, speech and vision processing. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Education at the University of Sheffield. He completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Exeter, England in 1991. His Master's degree in Computer Science was obtained from New Mexico State University, New Mexico, US in 1988 and his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin, Ireland in 1985. His primary research interests are in Natural Language Processing (NLP) including the processing of pragmatics, beliefs and intentions in dialogue. He is also interested in Philosophy, MultiMedia and the general area of Artificial Intelligence.

Anke Weinberger, 1998-10-21