Signing Creatures Workshop

认知神经科学，机器人和阿凡达科学家的创新联盟将于2013年11月14日至15日在Gallaudet大学（华盛顿，华盛顿特区）举行NSF“签名生物研讨会”。工作坊的目的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人和听力儿童进行互动交流。语言习得研究表明，儿童必须接受早期语言接触，以实现语言和阅读的成功。尽管有研究表明，早期接触手语的失聪儿童大脑健康的好处，但这并不适用于非手语父母所生的失聪儿童。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，类似于听力儿童的学习产品。该研讨会源于NSF授予认知神经科学家Laura-Ann Petitto，PI（以及Gallaudet的NSF学习科学中心VL 2的科学总监和共同PI）和Avatar科学家大卫Traum，共同PI，南加州大学。德雷克塞尔大学的机器人科学家保罗·欧也加入了他们的行列。 更广泛的影响：该研讨会汇集了来自广泛学科的聋人和听力科学家，以解决聋人儿童的教育，学习和阅读的关键问题。研讨会带来了新的跨学科科学知识和令人兴奋的探索，为聋人和听力儿童开发开创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.