CALL FOR PAPERS AND PARTICIPATION
Speechreading by Man and Machine: Models, Systems and Applications
NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE
AUGUST 28 TO SEPTEMBER 8, 1995, CHATEAU DE BONAS, FRANCE
OBJECTIVE
This ASI will be the first forum on the interdisciplinary study of
speechreading (lipreading) -- production, perception and learning by
both humans and machines. The central aim is to explore and promote
the incorporation of visual information into acoustic speech
recognizers for improved recognition accuracy (especially in noisy
environments), while drawing on and further elucidating knowledge of
the psychology of speechreading by humans.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Automatic speech recognition (ASR) promises to be of great importance
in human-machine interfaces, but despite extensive effort over
decades, acoustic-based recognition systems remain too inaccurate for
the vast majority of conceivable applications, especially those in
noisy environments (automobiles, factory floors, crowded offices,...).
While incremental advances may be expected along the current ASR
paradigm, additional, novel approaches --- in particular those
utilizing visual information as well --- deserve serious study. Such
hybrid (acoustic and visual) ASR systems have already been shown to
have superior recognition accuracy, especially in noisy conditions,
just as humans recognize speech better when also given visual
information (the "cocktail party effect").
But first some crucial questions must be addressed and research
directions set by the unique international team of experts assembled
for the ASI workshop:
* What visual features and strategies do human speechreaders rely
upon? Which ones can be learned from raw video input by an
artificial ASR system? What is the underlying motor (muscle)
representation of speech and its visual manifestation and is it
appropriate for artificial systems?
* What are the best representations for the acoustic and visual
information to facilitate bimodal integration? (neural networks,
Hidden Markov models,...) How can visual speech subsystems be
integrated with highly developed existing acoustic recognizers?
* What can/should be learned from human models that will improve
artificial A/V ASR systems? Conversely, how can artificial systems
illuminate human performance?
* What standards and databases are needed for developing A/V ASR
systems? What applications are both technically solvable and
commercially viable?
* Since at present there is no single disciplinary "home" for this
work the need for the proposed ASI is clear.
WORKSHOP FORMAT
At the ASI, 10-15 lecturers will summarize in 90 minute talks the
current state of the research in their respective subfields. In
addition, up to 30 contributed talks of 30 minutes (including 5-10
minute discussion) will be presented. There will also be several panel
discussions on topics of general interest as well as adequate time for
individual discussion.
The proceedings will be published by Springer-Verlag as part of the
NATO ASI series and will consist of longer tutorial papers by the
instructors as well as shorter (8-10 pages) contributed papers. This
promises to be the first single volume devoted exclusively to the
interdisciplinary field of speechreading.
SUBMISSION
There are three levels of participation:
* Invited lecturers
* Contributing presenters
* General attendees
Those wishing to contribute a paper must first submit by April 1, 1995
a two page proposal for review by the organizers. Decisions will be
based on quality of work and its relevance to the workshop, coverage
of subfields and other constraints imposed by NATO. Final decisions
will be announced by April 15. Full papers will be due by September
29, 1995, three weeks after the meeting. We strongly urge submission
of papers typeset in LaTeX or MS Word, for which we will provide style
sheets.
Paper proposals consist of a cover page and an extended abstract. The
cover page should include the name, affiliation, complete postal and
e-mail addresses and/or fax numbers, and optionally telephone number
and URL of the corresponding author. It should also include a short
biography and a list of references to the authors' relevant papers and
up to ten keywords. The extended abstract should be about 1-2 pages in
length.
Please submit the paper proposals via e-mail to
asi-submit@crc.ricoh.com. Accepted formats are: plain ASCII,
LaTeX, and PostScript. You may also submit printed proposals via
regular mail or fax to:
Dr. David G. Stork
NATO ASI Proposals
Ricoh California Research Center
2882 Sand Hill Road Suite 115
Menlo Park, CA 94025-7022
USA
Fax: +1 415 854 8740
PARTICIPATION
The workshop is open to all interested persons from around the world,
including non-NATO countries.
It will be assumed that registrants will be staying at the Chateau
de Bonas. This will allow us to arrange a package deal. Please notify
us at the time of registration if you wish to stay off site, however.
Registration forms can be obtained from
ftp://ftp.crc.ricoh.com/asi/register.ps.Z
Or you can register online via the World Wide Web at
http://www.crc.ricoh.com/asi/register.html
You may also request and submit an ASCII version of the form via
e-mail to asi-register@crc.ricoh.com.
The final list of participants will be submitted for approval to the
Scientific Affairs Division of NATO. Therefore, the strict deadline
for registration is May 23, 1995.
COSTS
This workshop is sponsored to a large extent by NATO Scientific
Affairs Division as well as the Ricoh California Research Center. A
certain amount of NATO funds has been set aside for travel grants.
Distribution of these grants is based on need and travel distance and
the awarded grants usually cover only part of the actual travel costs.
Preference is given to those students who will attend both weeks. ASI
students from non-NATO countries which are not among the Cooperation
Partners, as well as those employed by industrial and/or commercial
undertakings, are not eligible to receive funds from the NATO grant.
Please request funding as part of your paper proposal or when
registering.
IMPORTANT DATES
Submission of proposals: April 1, 1995
Notification of acceptance: April 15, 1995
Registration: before May 23, 1995
Workshop: August 28, 1995 to September 8, 1995
Final paper due: September 29, 1995
LECTURERS
The following lecturers were invited to speak at the ASI:
* D. G. Stork, Ricoh & Stanford, USA
* C. Benoit, ICP-CNRS U. Stendhal, France
* M. N. Brooke, U. Bath, UK
* D. Massaro, UC Santa Cruz, USA
* H.-H. Bothe, Inst. fuer Elektronik, Germany
* M. Caldognetto, U. di Padua, Italy
* R. Campbell, U. London, UK
* B. Dodd, MRC Psychology, UK
* P. B. Kricos, U. Florida, USA
* E. Monte, ETSE Telecomunicacio, Spain
* A. A. Montgomery, U. S. Carolina, USA
* M. K. Pichora-Fuller, U. Brit. Col., Canada
* J. Robert-Ribes, ICP-CNRS, INPG, France
* P. Smeele, Delft U. of Tech., Netherlands
Director/Editor: Co-directors:
David G. Stork Christian Benoit
Chief Scientist Institut de la Communication Parlee -
Ricoh California Research Center Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
and Universite Stendhal
Consulting Associate Professor N. Michael Brooke
Electrical Engineering Department of Mathematics
Stanford University University Bath
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information please
or
FTP version
We have also established a mailing list concerning the organization of
the ASI. To subscribe, send e-mail to asi@crc.ricoh.com.
Submissions to the mailing list should be sent to
asi-list@crc.ricoh.com
NATO countries
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland,
Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Turkey, United Kingdom, United States
NATO Cooperation Partner countries
Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia,
Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova,
Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
REGISTRATION MATERIALS
Speechreading by Man and Machine: Models, Systems and Applications
NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE
AUGUST 28 TO SEPTEMBER 8, 1995, CHATEAU DE BONAS, FRANCE
Invited lecturers do not need to register, as their participation has
been confirmed and their registration fees waived.
HOW TO REGISTER
To register for this event, complete the registration form. Please
make sure to provide all necessary information.
NATO requires us to submit the final list of participants for approval
to the Scientific Affairs Division 90 days prior to the meeting (May
30). The lecturers and all participants from non-NATO countries have
to be commited by May 23 and for this a minimum deposit of US$300 or
FF1500 is required. Participants from NATO countries will also have to
register by May 23, but no deposit is required. Registrations after
the deadline will be considered only from applicants from NATO
countries, and on a space available basis.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Registration includes attendance at all sessions, as well as
accommodations and meals, and one copy of the resulting NATO ASI
SERIES volume.
EXPECTED LENGTH OF STAY
Attendees are strongly encouraged to stay at the Chateau de Bonas for
the entire duration of the workshop. If you are not able to attend
both weeks, we may provide the option to register for only one week.
However, you should note that for the distribution of any grants,
strong preference is given to those who stay both weeks.
Most of the attendees will arrive at the Chateau on Sunday, August 27
and leave Saturday, September 9. Optionally, attendees may arrive one
day early or depart one day late. Please indicate in the registration
form if you wish to do so.
PAYMENT
The registration fees for the workshop are:
* Two weeks: FF4620 = US$890
* One week: FF2970 = US$570
* Arriving Saturday: Add FF400 = US$75
* Departing Sunday: Add FF400 = US$75
* Corporate attendance (except for contributors of papers): Add
FF2600 = US$500
In order to make reservations final, participants from non-NATO
countries must transfer a minimum deposit of FF1500 = US$300 before
May 23, 1995. However, to save bank charges you may want to transfer
the entire registration fees in one transaction.
All payments should be made in French Francs to the following account:
Owner: NATO-ASI SPEECHREADING
Bank: Credit Lyonnais
Address: 1 rue Moliere, 38000 Grenoble, France
Bank Code: 30002
Agency Code: 02600
Account No: 795376F
SWIFT code: CRLYFRPPGRE
RIB Key: 55
Guichet No: 02600
For participants with a bank account in the United States we offer the
option to make payments in US dollar to the following account:
Owner: Ricoh Corporation
Bank: Union Bank
Address: 716 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
Bank Code: 1-144
Account No: 44-049064
ABA#: 122 000 496
Transfering money between banks in a world with a multitude of
currencies is a pain and can be expensive. Here are some points to
consider when preparing the transaction:
* All checks and money orders must have the words "NATO ASI" written
on them.
* Beside the exchange fee, total bank commissions are usually in the
range of US$15 to US$50.
* Checks in French Francs from French banks are most welcome, no
fees at all.
* Eurochecks in French Francs are acceptable as well, without fees.
* Participants with an account in the USA should send a check
payable to Ricoh Corp. made out in US$ to the US account. Include
the words "NATO ASI" on the memo line.
* Otherwise, you should use the SWIFT network for money transfer to
the French account. It is faster and the fees are lower.
* If you use traditional money transfer, you will have to pay the
extra fees for the commission (FF200).
In the last two cases, you must send a copy of the transfer order to
Christian Benoit
Room C001 - Universite Stendhal
BP 25X
38040 Grenoble Cedex 9
France
Fax: (+33).76.82.43.35
who administers the French account.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellations received prior to May 23, 1995 will be refunded all
charges and deposits. Cancellations received after May 23, 1995 will
be refunded all charges less the deposit. Applicants from NATO
countries will have their deposit refunded. All cancellations must be
in writing either by mail, e-mail, or fax.
NATO countries
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland,
Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Turkey, United Kingdom, United States
NATO Cooperation Partner countries
Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia,
Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova,
Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
REGISTRATION FORM
SPEECHREADING BY MAN AND MACHINE: MODELS, SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS
NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE
AUGUST 28 TO SEPTEMBER 8, 1995, CHATEAU DE BONAS, FRANCE
Invited lecturers do not need to register, as their participation is
implied.
PERSONAL DATA
Last Name: ___________________________________
First Name: ___________________________________
Mailing Address (include institution or company name if applicable):
__________________________________________________________
Business Phone: __________________ Home Phone: __________________
Fax: __________________
Email (optional): __________________________________________________
LENGTH OF STAY
Attendees usually arrive at the Chateau on Sunday, August 27 and leave
Saturday, September 9.
I will stay
* ___ both weeks (August 28 to September 8) Rate: FF4620 = US$890
* ___ only the first week (August 28 to September 2) Rate: FF2970 =
US$570
* ___ only the second week (September 3 to September 8) Rate: FF2970
= US$570
Attendees may wish to arrive one day early (on Saturday) and depart
one day late (on Sunday). When do you plan to arrive and depart?
Arrival: Departure:
___ Saturday (add FF400 = US$75) ___ Saturday
___ Sunday ___ Sunday (add FF400 = US$75)
Will you be applying for a travel grant? ___ Yes ___ No