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** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** ** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** ** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ** LANGUAGE, SPEECH and GESTURE FOR EXPRESSIVE CHARACTERS Symposium of the AISB'04 Convention University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, 29th March - 1st April 2004 http://www.expressivecharacters.org Abstract Submission Deadline: January 26, 2004 SYMPOSIUM DESCRIPTION: --------------------- Research into expressive characters, for example embodied conversational agents, is a growing field, while new work in human-robot interaction (HRI) has also focussed on issues of expressive behaviour. With recent developments in computer graphics, natural language engineering and speech processing, much of the technological platform for expressive characters both graphical and robotic - is in place. However, progress is hampered by the need to integrate work in various sub- fields of psychology, in natural language processing, speech and in computer graphics, carried out by many different groups in communities that do not always intersect. Other areas, such as integrating gesture and facial expression and affective state with language and speech, are less developed but vital to progress. The symposium aims to bring together psychologists, experts in natural language and speech technologies, researchers in embodied agents (graphical and robotic), affective computing and computer graphics and animation researchers. It invites contributions on the topic of speech and natural language processing for expressive characters, including: - appropriate natural language processing architectures; - natural language generation; - dialogue systems and question answering, - language and gesture coordination; - language and facial expression coordination; - language and action integration, - emotional language; - personality modelling, language and speech - lip synchronisation and combination with facial expression; - affect in speech synthesis and recognition. - empirical studies of gesture and facial expression; - specification and analysis of gesture and facial expression - gesture and facial expression modelling and animation; - evaluation of expressive characters SYMPOSIUM ORGANISERS: -------------------- Ruth Aylett The Centre for Virtual Environments University of Salford Salford MANCHESTER M5 4WT Tel: +44 161 295 2912 Fax: +44 161 295 2925 Email: [log in to unmask] Marc Cavazza School of Computing and Mathematics University of Teesside MIDDLESBOROUGH TS1 3BA Tel: +44 1642 342631 Fax: +44 1642 230527 Email: [log in to unmask] Patrick Olivier Department of Computer Science University of York Heslington YORK YO10 5DD Tel: 0781 3951637 Fax: 01904 432767 Email: [log in to unmask] SUBMISSION DETAILS: ------------------ Potential participants who would wish to present their work at the symposium (poster, demo, or oral presentation) should submit an extended abstract of 1000-2500 words. Contributions should describe work in progress, completed work, positions, or give insight into the current state or perspectives of research in the topic of the symposium. All submissions must include: title, author(s) name(s), affiliation(s), mailing and electronic addresses, and telephone and fax numbers. The abstracts submission deadline for this symposium is 26th January, 2004). Extended abstracts of 1000-2500 words should be sent by e-mail (ASCII or URL from which your contribution can be downloaded are preferred; otherwise attached PDF, UNIX-compatible postscript, or RTF file) to: [log in to unmask] AND [log in to unmask] Authors of accepted submissions will be asked to contribute a paper to the symposium proceedings, edited by the AISB Society. The deadline for camera- ready papers is 1st March, 2004 (hard deadline!). A formal post-symposium publication is being explored. Since contributions will be evaluated on the basis of extended abstracts, it is very important that authors make very clear why and how their contribution is relevant to the symposium. Abstracts should explain clearly: - What problem you are trying to address. - Why this is an interesting problem, and how and why it is relevant to the theme of the symposium. - What has been tried before (in your community, in different communities) and why/how your contribution is better/different/more original. - How it will help others/contribute to/enrich research or applications having to do with the animation of expressive characters. - Some results/proof/hint it works (how can your work be evaluated?). Abstracts will be evaluated for acceptance as long papers, posters, system demonstrations and expressions of interest. PROGRAMME COMMITTEE: ------------------- Ruth Aylett, University of Salford, UK Daniel Ballin, BTExact Technologies, Radical Multimedia Lab, UK Paul Brna, University of Northumbria Marc Cavazza, University of Teeside Suresh Manandhar, University of York, UK Colin Matheson, University of Edinburgh, UK Dominique Noel, As An Angel SA, France Patrick Olivier, University of York, UK Catherine Pelachaud, University of Paris 8, France Thomas Rist, DFKI Germany Judy Robertson, University of Edinburgh, UK Daniela Romano, University of Sheffield, UK Takenobu Tokunaga, TIT, Japan IMPORTANT DATES: --------------- - 26 JANUARY, 2004: Submissions (extended abstracts) due - 02 February, 2004: Notification to authors - 01 March, 2004: Camera-ready papers due (hard deadline!) - 29 March - 01 April, 2004: AISB'04 Convention dates. The symposium will run for two days within that overall period.