Signing Creatures Workshop

2013年11月14日至15日，认知神经科学、机器人技术和阿凡达的科学家们将齐聚一堂，参加在华盛顿特区加劳德特大学举行的NSF“手语生物研讨会”。研讨会的目标是探索创造机器人和阿凡达生物的可行性，这些生物可以在人类发展的关键时期与年轻的聋哑和听力正常的儿童进行手语和互动交流。语言习得研究表明，儿童必须在早期接受语言接触，才能获得语言和阅读的成功。尽管研究表明，早期接触手语对聋儿的大脑健康有益，但这并不适用于非手语父母所生的聋儿。手语机器人和阿凡达虚拟人可以在交流玩具和游戏中为聋哑儿童提供手语，类似于为听力正常的儿童提供学习产品。该研讨会源于美国国家科学基金会对认知神经学家Laura-Ann Petitto的资助，她是PI（也是美国国家科学基金会学习中心VL2的科学主任和联合PI），以及南加州大学阿凡达科学家David Traum的资助。Drexel大学的机器人科学家Paul Oh也加入了他们的行列。更广泛的影响：研讨会汇集了来自广泛学科的聋人和听力科学家，以解决聋儿教育，学习和阅读的重要问题。研讨会为聋哑儿童提供了新的跨学科科学知识和令人兴奋的探索，以开发突破性的翻译学习和阅读产品。其他广泛的应用包括语言翻译，高中和成人教育。

An innovative union of Cognitive Neuroscience, Robotics, and Avatar scientists are coming together for a NSF "Signing Creatures Workshop" on November 14-15, 2013 at Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.). The goal of the Workshop is to explore the feasibility of creating Robot and Avatar creatures that can sign and engage in interactive communication with young deaf and hearing children during critical periods of human development. Language acquisition research has established that children must receive early language exposure to achieve language and reading success. Despite research demonstrating the healthy brain benefits afforded to deaf children with early sign language exposure, this is not available to deaf children born to non-signing parents. Signing Robots and Avatar virtual humans can provide sign language to deaf children in communicative toys and games, similar to learning products for hearing children. The Workshop stems from a NSF grant to Cognitive Neuroscientist, Laura-Ann Petitto, PI, (and Science Director and Co-PI of the NSF Science of Learning Center, VL2, at Gallaudet) and Avatar scientist, David Traum, Co-PI, University of Southern California. Joining them is Robotics scientist Paul Oh of Drexel University. Broader Impact: The Workshop brings together deaf and hearing scientists from a broad range of disciplines to address critically important problems for education, learning, and reading in deaf children. The Workshop gives rise to new cross-disciplinary scientific knowledge and exciting explorations into the development of groundbreaking translational learning and reading products for deaf and hearing children. Additional broad applications include language translation, and high school and adult education.