Real World Intelligence

Theme and Laboratory Outline

Wearable Vision System
RWI Adaptive Vision Laboratory
http://www.etl.go.jp/~7234/

We have developed a wearable vision system with a head-set consisting of an ultra-small CCD camera and an ultra-small display. By wearing the head-set, the system immediately informs the user of the results of sophisticated real-time image processing of the image obtained in the same viewpoint as the user.
We demonstrate overlaying and displaying of various types of notation information in the scene (introduction of exhibited item or emergency exit, etc.) on the image and demonstrate how 3-D information is acquired just by looking around the hand-held object. The image processing is executed by a PC cluster and a wireless LAN is used for data transmission between the user and the computers. In the future, we intend to develop a wearable assistant whereby smart interaction is enabled by continuously following the same experience as the user.

Dynamic Adaptive Devices and their Application
RWI Evolvable System Laboratory
http://www.etl.go.jp/etl/divisions/~ehw/

We demonstrate a EMG (Electromyograph) prosthetic hand controlled by Evolvable Hardware (EHW). EHW allows hardware to reconfigure itself with genetic algorithms in order to adapt to new environment or to obtain new hardware functionality. Although conventional EMG hands require almost one month before a patient masters the usage of the hand, the EHW hand requires only a few minutes or such a rehabilitation. This hand will be commercialized this year. The EHW chip is also shown. The chip can be used also for the control of an autonomous mobile robot Evolver. Evolver robot has an adaptation speed to new environment two orders of magnitude faster.
In addion to the prosthetic hand, we also show four EHW chips. The first chip is lossless data compression chip that is scheduled to be discussed at ISO committee in Japan. The chip attains a compression ratio twice better than current international standard. This data compression will be commercialized this year. The second chip is self-reconfigurable neural network chip which is ten times faster than Pentium II (400MHz). A PCI board wih the chip is also shown. The third chip is the first analog EHW chip in the world. It is an intermediate frequency filter for cellular phones. It attains high yield rate (96%), small sizing (two fifth), and 40% reduction of power consumption. This chip has a possibility of being commercialized this year. The fourth chip is a timing adjuster chip for very high speed clock systems in order to improve the yield rate. The board with the chip is shown.

Multi-Modal Agent Interface for Communication
Multi-Modal Functions Sharp Laboratory
http://www.rwcp.or.jp/lab/mm-sharp/paperlist.html

In Multi-Modal Functions Sharp Laboratory, we are conducting research and development on interactive interfaces, with the goal of realizing a new, easy-to-use human interface. To achieve this, we record images, speech and motion data of active conversations between people, convert the data into a database and use the results of analyses for the interface. From the analyses performed so far, we have found that not only the semantic content of the conversation but also non-verbal information such as the loudness of voice and gestures play an important role in an active conversation. Of those pieces of information during conversation, we have particularly focused on "back channel responses" that serves to smooth a conversation and realized its function in the interface using an original dynamical dialogue model into the interface. In response to the personality of the interface itself and a user's voice, the emotion of the interface changes in time, and gives back channel responses. The demonstration will show a computer graphics generated person conversing with the user with nodding and various expressions.

Theme and Laboratory	Outline
Wearable Vision System RWI Adaptive Vision Laboratory http://www.etl.go.jp/~7234/	We have developed a wearable vision system with a head-set consisting of an ultra-small CCD camera and an ultra-small display. By wearing the head-set, the system immediately informs the user of the results of sophisticated real-time image processing of the image obtained in the same viewpoint as the user. We demonstrate overlaying and displaying of various types of notation information in the scene (introduction of exhibited item or emergency exit, etc.) on the image and demonstrate how 3-D information is acquired just by looking around the hand-held object. The image processing is executed by a PC cluster and a wireless LAN is used for data transmission between the user and the computers. In the future, we intend to develop a wearable assistant whereby smart interaction is enabled by continuously following the same experience as the user.
Dynamic Adaptive Devices and their Application RWI Evolvable System Laboratory http://www.etl.go.jp/etl/divisions/~ehw/	We demonstrate a EMG (Electromyograph) prosthetic hand controlled by Evolvable Hardware (EHW). EHW allows hardware to reconfigure itself with genetic algorithms in order to adapt to new environment or to obtain new hardware functionality. Although conventional EMG hands require almost one month before a patient masters the usage of the hand, the EHW hand requires only a few minutes or such a rehabilitation. This hand will be commercialized this year. The EHW chip is also shown. The chip can be used also for the control of an autonomous mobile robot Evolver. Evolver robot has an adaptation speed to new environment two orders of magnitude faster. In addion to the prosthetic hand, we also show four EHW chips. The first chip is lossless data compression chip that is scheduled to be discussed at ISO committee in Japan. The chip attains a compression ratio twice better than current international standard. This data compression will be commercialized this year. The second chip is self-reconfigurable neural network chip which is ten times faster than Pentium II (400MHz). A PCI board wih the chip is also shown. The third chip is the first analog EHW chip in the world. It is an intermediate frequency filter for cellular phones. It attains high yield rate (96%), small sizing (two fifth), and 40% reduction of power consumption. This chip has a possibility of being commercialized this year. The fourth chip is a timing adjuster chip for very high speed clock systems in order to improve the yield rate. The board with the chip is shown.
Multi-Modal Agent Interface for Communication Multi-Modal Functions Sharp Laboratory http://www.rwcp.or.jp/lab/mm-sharp/paperlist.html	In Multi-Modal Functions Sharp Laboratory, we are conducting research and development on interactive interfaces, with the goal of realizing a new, easy-to-use human interface. To achieve this, we record images, speech and motion data of active conversations between people, convert the data into a database and use the results of analyses for the interface. From the analyses performed so far, we have found that not only the semantic content of the conversation but also non-verbal information such as the loudness of voice and gestures play an important role in an active conversation. Of those pieces of information during conversation, we have particularly focused on "back channel responses" that serves to smooth a conversation and realized its function in the interface using an original dynamical dialogue model into the interface. In response to the personality of the interface itself and a user's voice, the emotion of the interface changes in time, and gives back channel responses. The demonstration will show a computer graphics generated person conversing with the user with nodding and various expressions.