SBIR Phase II: Software Tools for Authoring American Sign Language

SBIR 第二阶段：用于创作美国手语的软件工具

• 批准号: 0238882
• 负责人: Edward Sims
• 金额: $ 49.92万
• 依托单位: VCOM3D, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-02-15 至 2006-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0238882&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Software; Tools

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a fully functioning prototype software tool that will allow educators, interpreters, and linguists skilled in American Sign Language (ASL), but not in computer 3-D animation, to create fully grammatical synthesized ASL. This technology will provide language access for Deaf individuals to Internet web pages and CD-ROM based media. This project builds upon the P.I.'s commercial Sign Smith products, which were developed, in part, under an earlier NSF SBIR grant. The current technology allows users to generate unique sentences composed of signs that are in citation, or non-inflected form and to add facial expressions. The resulting sign and sentence structure approximates English grammar and therefore represents a transliteration, also known as Signed English. Although Signed English does provide some access to digital media, the absence of many elements of ASL grammar limits the use of the technology by the larger segment of the Deaf population who require grammatical ASL for access. These tools will enable the user to dynamically compose and inflect ASL signs from parameterized components using several spatial frames of reference. These sign types include pronouns, indicating and locative verbs, and classifier predicates.The final commercial product will be a new integrated tool within the P.I.'s commercial Sign Smith Studio Authoring Tool. This tool will allow educators and multimedia developers to create engaging, grammatically correct, ASL animations for language access to digital information on Web Pages and in CD-ROM titles. The software interface not only allows authors to spatially inflect signs, but also it can be used to create signs as well. This capability opens opportunities for quickly building libraries of technical and scientific terms to be used in educational and scientific curricula. It also affords the potential to create libraries of foreign sign languages, therefore making it possible for the product to enter international markets. Content can be viewed using a proprietary licensed software Player. This product will increase access of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and adults to digitally based information and promote inclusive education and employment approaches which accords with the language and intent of the New Freedom Initiative, recent amendments to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act. Not only does this technology have a viable commercial market, it also has broad societal benefits for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in America and beyond.

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将开发一个功能齐全的原型软件工具，将允许教育工作者，口译员和语言学家熟练的美国手语（ASL），但不是在计算机三维动画，创建完全语法合成的ASL。 这项技术将为聋人提供访问互联网网页和基于光盘的媒体的语言。 该项目建立在P.I.的商业标志史密斯产品，这是开发，部分，根据较早的NSF SBIR赠款。 目前的技术允许用户生成由引用或非变形形式的符号组成的独特句子，并添加面部表情。 由此产生的符号和句子结构近似于英语语法，因此代表了音译，也称为签名英语。 虽然手语确实提供了一些访问数字媒体的机会，但由于缺乏ASL语法的许多元素，限制了需要语法ASL才能访问的较大部分聋人使用该技术。 这些工具将使用户能够使用几个空间参考框架从参数化组件动态地组合和改变ASL符号。 这些符号类型包括代词、指示和处所动词以及量词谓词。的商业标志史密斯工作室创作工具。 这一工具将使教育工作者和多媒体开发人员能够制作引人入胜、语法正确的美国手语动画，以便用语言访问网页和光盘标题中的数字信息。 软件界面不仅允许作者在空间上改变标志，而且还可以用来创建标志。 这种能力为迅速建立用于教育和科学课程的技术和科学术语库提供了机会。 它还提供了建立外国手语图书馆的可能性，从而使该产品有可能进入国际市场。 内容可以使用专有许可软件播放器查看。 该产品将增加聋人和重听儿童和成人对数字信息的访问，并促进包容性教育和就业方法，这符合新自由倡议的语言和意图，最近对1973年康复法第508条的修正案，美国残疾人法和电信法第255条。 这项技术不仅有一个可行的商业市场，它还为美国和其他地区的聋人和重听人带来了广泛的社会效益。