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PRESS RELEASEOctober 8, 1999.BCL COMPUTERS TO DEVELOP A CODE GENERATING SOFTWARE FOR ATPCourtesy of: Naeem MohaiemenBCL Computers, a leader in document management technology, is pleased to announce being awarded an ATP contract to develop a code generating software "toolkit" that will allow programmers to rapidly develop spoken-language input interfaces for new and existing applications without a detailed knowledge of linguistic theory. Speech-based input systems are becoming ever more desirable with the advent of handheld computers. Spoken language provides a natural and convenient method of communicating with the computer, but a spoken-language user interface (SLUI) for an application program is difficult to create. Natural-language processing is far more complex than GUI programming. Automatic speech recognition systems exist to take spoken words and translate them into symbols, but to build a true SLUI the programmer needs to understand concepts in human linguistics, syntactic parsing and human discourse theory to effectively translate a natural language sentence into input for an application program. BCL Computers proposes a SLUI Toolkit that will allow programmers to rapidly develop spoken-language input for new and existing applications without a detailed knowledge of linguistic theory. The programmer will specify a sample set of input sentences for each task, the Toolkit will analyze them and generate a front-end application which is fine-tuned for understanding relevant Naturally Spoken command sentences.. Natural-language processing is a notoriously difficult field, and developing a SLUI Toolkit powerful and general enough to be useful to programmers working in a wide variety of application areas will require BCL to overcome a number of technical challenges, ranging from algorithms to deal with ambiguity in natural language to designing effective "wrappers" to interface with the target application programs. The resulting SLUI also must be compact and efficient enough to work well within the resources of a handheld computer. A SLUI toolkit will transform and expand the uses of handheld computers in much the same way that the Graphical User Interface transformed the world of desktop computers. "This is a wonderful opportunity for BCL to prove its technical knowledge in a new and exciting area. The ATP funding will assist BCL in proving the feasibility of the high-return high-risk technology in the SLUI Toolkit We feel strongly that this is the future wave to ride" says Hassan Alam, CEO of BCL Computers. About BCL ComputersBCL Computers is a leader in human computer interaction technology. Formalized in 1994, the company has been developing numerous solutions addressing document understanding technology to aid repurposing of PDF with both custom and shrink-wrapped solutions. With the intent of simplifying the workflow, BCL has also developed technology that makes web-publishing an easy task for both novices and experts. The development of the SLUI toolkit takes BCL into the Natural Language aspect of human computer interaction where computers begin to understand written and spoken input. The company's repertoire of products includes a fax solution that enables immediately and automatic delivery of incoming faxes to users via email. About ATPThe ATP is a unique partnership between government and private industry to accelerate the development of high-risk technologies that promise significant commercial payoffs and widespread benefits for the economy. The ATP encourages a change in how industry approaches R&D, providing a mechanism for industry to extend its technological reach and push out the envelope of what can be attempted. www.atp.nist.gov www.nist.gov/public_affairs/current.htm News media Contact:Sulojana BlowsPhone: (408) 557-2080Fax: 408-249-4046Email: sulojana@bcl-computers.com |
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