2. ViSiCAST: Virtual sign: Capture, Animation Storage & Transmission BDA Conference 2nd August 2000 Belfast Dr John Low RNID

3. Notes on presentation l This was a user workshop which started with virtual reality examples, through general use of avatars with many video and CD viewer examples, before describing the project including examples of signing avatars. Quite interactive. l Feedback very mixed although our openness to listen was enthusiastically welcomed

4. Virtual Reality

5. Virtual Town Hall

6. Avatars: Virtual humans l Films l Internet l Computer games

7. Virtual Dancing

8. Annanova

11. annanova.com

12. Vandrea

13. The ViSiCAST Project Vi rtual Si gning: C apture, A nimation, S torage & T ransmission IST Programme -1999-10500 5 th Framework Program Key Actions: Systems and services for citizen To meet the needs and expectations of European citizens for high quality and affordable services of general interest. RTD will be carried out in the fields of health, persons with special needs (including elderly and disabled), administrations, environment and transport. Multimedia context and tools Duration:36 months

14. Advanced technology-based Project statement Information access and communication of signing deaf people Open choice No proprietary solutions

15. Independent Television Commission The ViSiCAST Consortium Televirtual University of East Anglia The Post Office Royal Institute for Deaf People Instituut voor Doven Hamburg University Institut für Rundfunktechnik Institut National des Télécommunications

16. ViSiCAST Partners l ITC, UK : Project co-ordination l IRT, Germany : Broadcast technology l TeleVirtual, UK : Avatar creation l IDGS, Germany : Sign language notation l UEA, UK : Processing of language, speech & signing l INT, France : Broadcast imaging & animation standards l IvD, Netherlands : Multimedia content creation l Post Office, UK : Face-to-face transaction systems l RNID, UK : Monitoring of signing and evaluation

17. ViSiCAST Structure WWW Transactions Broadcast Language Animation

18. Multimedia and Internet applications l Adding signing services to multimedia l improves access to information for leisure, learning and communication l Browser plug-in l accurate signing of existing content on the internet l translation of own text to generate signed content on own website

19. Face-to-Face Transactions l Post Office, Advice Services, Shops l Simple spoken phrases recognised and translated to sign language Television access

20. Television and Broadcast l Developing transmission technology l virtual signer in set-top boxes l transmission of signing from text subtitles

21. TV and broadcast TV Capture Card Teletext Stream Audio/Video Stream AvatarSoftware Mixer Computer

22. Current technology:Motion capture

23. Motion Capture Weather Forecast Computer System Post- processing

24. Display System Weather Forecast Computer System

25. Constrained System

26. New technology to be developed: Language and Notation l Translate English text to European sign languages: BSL, DGS, SLN l Define a an intermediate code between text and sign languages: Gesture Markup Language or GML l GML builds on the Hamburg Notation System, HamNoSys which codes hand shape and orientation, location, and movement

27. English to Sign l Translation via intermediate code: Discourse Representation Structure (DRS) English DRS BSL (UK) DGS (Germany) SLN (Netherlands)

28. RNIDs role l Bridge between the project partners and the deaf people who could benefit from the technology l Wide dissemination of project aims l Collation of feedback through visits to UK deaf clubs and groups l Evaluations of prototype systems by deaf people to influence how systems can be improved

29. ViSiCAST : Conclusion l Aims ambitious within 3 years l Novel computational linguistics work to generate and represent signing l Advanced avatar technology for signing virtual humans l Input essential from deaf people so that the technology develops to maximise benefits

30. Thank you