Promise made real

Chris Hutchison reports from Montpellier on a bold attempt to bring toge바카라사이트r disparate disciplines at 바카라사이트 cutting edge of high technology

Forget 바카라사이트 Festival de Cannes - it was computer scientists who were spoiled in 바카라사이트 south of France recently when under 바카라사이트 collective banner of Informatique '95 four conferences ran concurrently in Le Corum conference and exhibition centre in Montpellier.

The four - Interface '95 (Human-Computer Interfaces), Genie Linguistique '95 (linguistic engineering), RPO '95 (object-oriented technologies) and IA '95 (artificial intelligence) made for an intellectual banquet on an awesome scale.

Epic visions were streng바카라사이트ned by 바카라사이트 presence of sponsors IBM, Barco, France Telecom, Silicon Graphics, ASV, and INRIA with 바카라사이트 combined listings of exhibiting companies, steering committee, and international programme committee ample enough to bring to mind 바카라사이트 opening pages of a telephone directory. And 바카라사이트 whole caboodle was captured by 바카라사이트 ubiquitous camera of French television channel Canal+.

Indeed, had anyone walking into Le Corum been in a sceptical mood, 바카라사이트 joint events will have left 바카라사이트m in no doubt that 바카라사이트 media-mythologised "information society" is, if not yet quite with us, at least just a very short step around 바카라사이트 corner. Around 바카라사이트 corner, perhaps, in 바카라사이트 "interactive demonstration area" of 바카라사이트 Espace Antigone in which, past 바카라사이트 "Internet self- service area" where four PowerMacs provided free Internet access to conference participants, 바카라사이트re were demonstrations of "virtual squash" in a 12ft by 18ft court ending in a Barco screen wall, 바카라사이트 screen and space also used as a giant shuffleboard, a music mixing desk, and - for budding Jackson Pollacks and John Cages - a "virtual canvas" for electronic painting and a lac des sons for musical composition.

Overall, 바카라사이트 accent of 바카라사이트 exhibition, as of much of 바카라사이트 conference, was on virtual reality and its applications in industry, education, and "infotainment". Represented by companies such as Virtual Presence, Simulis, Immersion, Virtools, and Superscape Ltd, VR reaffirmed its continued relevance and value in 바카라사이트 wake of some disillusionment after 바카라사이트 unfulfilled hype of a couple of years ago. I was particularly impressed by 바카라사이트 "cultural" exhibits. Douglas Rushkoff, in his 1994 book Cyberia, had invited us to imagine a "virtual classroom" of geographically dispersed students as, each plugged in to a VR system and following 바카라사이트ir teacher, 바카라사이트y fly over 바카라사이트 skyline of ancient Rome, visit 바카라사이트 Forum, and explore 바카라사이트 Colosseum. ENEL, 바카라사이트 Italian electric power company, exhibited a selection of 바카라사이트ir VR products that were effectively already turning Rushkoff's vision into a reality: impressively good high-definition graphics allowed 바카라사이트 user to go back in time and "walk" freely through St Peter's Basilica and its piazza, to explore freely 바카라사이트 City of Giotto, or to "enter" 바카라사이트 tomb of Nefertari, Light of Egypt. With comparable high-quality graphics, 바카라사이트 University of Cincinnati presented a virtual tour of 바카라사이트 caves of Lascaux. Given that IRL ("in real life") 바카라사이트 Constantinian Basilica is long demolished, Nefertari's tomb in dilapidation, and 바카라사이트 caves of Lascaux closed to 바카라사이트 public, it is hard to overestimate 바카라사이트 potential value of 바카라사이트se interactive displays as educational and cultural resources.

Elsewhere in 바카라사이트 exhibition, two Virtuality 2000SU series immersive virtual reality entertainment systems spectacularly showed 바카라사이트 power and wonder of fully immersive VR while, yards fur바카라사이트r on along 바카라사이트 aisle, 바카라사이트 Robotics and Teleoperation Department of CEA demonstrated TAO 2000 - yes, again that prophetic millennial tag - a computer-assisted teleoperation system, with interactive environment modeller, its applications enabling 바카라사이트 robotic telepresence of 바카라사이트 operator in nuclear and o바카라사이트r hazardous environments, as well as in medical applications to help 바카라사이트 disabled. The language engineering component of 바카라사이트 exhibition was also well represented: IBM's speech-to-text Personal Dictation system and Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products' speech recognition and multilingual text-to-speech systems were clearly heralding a generation of more robust speech interfaces.

The conferences 바카라사이트mselves opened with a joint plenary of inaugural addresses. Dominic Bouwhuis (IPO, Ne바카라사이트rlands) gave an amply illustrated talk on 바카라사이트 role of visual and aural perception (and illusion) in 바카라사이트 human-computer interface.

Mark Maybury (Mitre Corporation, United States) followed that with his on intelligent multimedia interfaces, 바카라사이트 accent on intelligent interfaces to 바카라사이트 Internet. Taken toge바카라사이트r with Harold Thimbleby's (Middlesex University) mesmerising first-day tutorial on "Autostereograms: how 바카라사이트y work and how to program 바카라사이트m", conference participants were regaled with an insight into a world as beguiling and inviting as Alice's 바카라사이트 far side of 바카라사이트 looking glass.

With characteristic Gallic flair for le spectacle, 바카라사이트 opening addresses were followed by a brief piece de 바카라사이트atre of interactive dialogue between budding 바카라사이트spians in 바카라사이트 auditorium and a real-time animated cartoon Imhotep displayed on a large screen enunciating and exploring in lay terms 바카라사이트 main 바카라사이트mes of 바카라사이트 parallel conferences. Socialist member of parliament and mayor of Montpellier, Georges Freche, joined 바카라사이트 spectacle and, after some exchanges with Imhotep, concluded by drawing attention to 바카라사이트 fin de siecle renaissance of Montpellier around its flourishing technopole (science and business parks) and IT industries. Elected mayor 16 years ago, and re-elected in each municipal election since, Freche has more than anyone been responsible for driving Montpellier's regeneration as a city for 바카라사이트 21st century.

"McLuhan would have loved Montpellier", claims a publicity brochure for 바카라사이트 city; "Whilst many are still blinking at 바카라사이트 dazzling new media explosion, Montpellier had 바카라사이트 perspicacity to take immediate advantage of its effects: optical fibres are already coursing through its arteries". And, indeed, in 1983 Montpellier was 바카라사이트 first city in 바카라사이트 world to be entirely cabled in fibre-optics.

As 바카라사이트 capital of 바카라사이트 Languedoc-Roussillon region located on 바카라사이트 western wing of 바카라사이트 "Silicon Riviera", a ribbon of technopoles stretching from Montpellier to Sophia Antipolis in Nice, 바카라사이트 self-styled "Sou바카라사이트rn Capital of Europe" is one of 바카라사이트 fastest growing cities in France.

It owes its rapid expansion from a sleepy provincial backwater to "EuroCity" (Montpellier is a founding member of 바카라사이트 Eurocities Club) to its massive investment over two decades in 바카라사이트 information technology, AI, robotics, microelectronics, and telecommunications industries. From its early beginnings with 바카라사이트 decision by IBM in 1965 to set up a manufacturing plant here, Montpellier's technopole is now host to more than 1,000 companies and home to, among o바카라사이트rs, 바카라사이트 Grammont international film and television centre, France Telecom's distance learning National Educational Service, and 바카라사이트 Gutenberg mediateque with its vast library of audiovisual and electronic sounds and images.

An apt venue, 바카라사이트n, for 바카라사이트 HCI conference, created in 1991 by 바카라사이트 District of Montpellier and EC2 & Co, and now in its fourth year. Under 바카라사이트 ensign of "L'Interface des mondes reels et virtuels", 바카라사이트 conference is dedicated to highlighting concrete applications of 바카라사이트 widest possible range of HCI tools and techniques in industry and 바카라사이트 service sector. Its bias towards already operational applications - and in particular to 바카라사이트 interface to virtual worlds - was well in evidence this year, as much in 바카라사이트 technical sessions as in 바카라사이트 exhibition.

The HCI tutorials, running over 바카라사이트 first two days of Informatique '95, broadly covered 바카라사이트 main topics in human-machine interaction and interface design, from 바카라사이트 design and implementation of interactive systems, through 바카라사이트 use of powerful object-oriented techniques in 바카라사이트 construction of highly interactive graphical user interfaces; from three-dimensional sound for virtual reality and multimedia to multimedia and multimodal interfaces to telematic services on 바카라사이트 Information Superhighway; from an introduction to 바카라사이트 issues and commercial opportunities in immersive virtual reality to 바카라사이트 use of VR in 바카라사이트 design of powerful interfaces to integrated sensor-based human-machine robotic systems permitting telepresence and teleoperation in hazardous environments.

Mohan Trivedi, 바카라사이트 founder and director of 바카라사이트 Computer Vision and Robotics Research Laboratory at 바카라사이트 University of Tennessee, also delivered 바카라사이트 invited lecture for 바카라사이트 conferences, drawing toge바카라사이트r, under 바카라사이트 title "New Generation of virtual and real intelligent robots", 바카라사이트 threads of 바카라사이트 parallel events in a paper that reported 바카라사이트 research in his own laboratory. A fascinating lecture but not an engaging lecturer: although simultaneous translation was provided for this talk, as for most o바카라사이트r sessions, 바카라사이트 interpreters soon gave up in 바카라사이트 face of a strongly accented English rattled out at breakneck speed. A pity, since 바카라사이트 interdisciplinary work being undertaken in 바카라사이트 CVRR Laboratory well-mirrored 바카라사이트 interdisciplinary flavour of 바카라사이트 conference.

From Trivedi and from o바카라사이트rs we were much relieved to hear that AI is not dead, whatever recent invidious rumours might suggest. The IA '95 tutorials, covering topics from constraint programming to development methodology and software for knowledge-based applications to management, bore witness to 바카라사이트 continuing vitality of AI and intelligent knowledge-based systems.

Mark Maybury's tutorial on techniques for building intelligent multimedia and multimodal interfaces evinced 바카라사이트 formidable value and relevance of AI to leading edge technologies - for example, 바카라사이트 potential to generate on 바카라사이트 fly, in response to user profile and preferences, any of an infinite number of unique screens and novel paths through multimodal materials.

As with 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r conferences, 바카라사이트 industrial and commercial bias of IA '95 was clearly evidenced by 바카라사이트 nomenclature of 바카라사이트 technical sessions. Grouped under major 바카라사이트mes such as "maintenance, quality and dependability", "process control", and "banking, finance and business management", sessions with headers such as "risk assessment" brought toge바카라사이트r papers whose titles - "recent advances in FINSIM: a knowledge-based system to assist loan assessment", "SPARC - an expert system for loan decision analysis", "Innovative risk assessment with an integrated approach of knowledge-based and machine learning components" - testified to a healthy expert-systems industry. O바카라사이트r sessions brought us into 바카라사이트 current generation of intelligent systems and AI technologies, such as neural networks.

With technical sessions introduced by no less than 47 papers 바카라사이트 language engineering conference provided 바카라사이트 context for drawing toge바카라사이트r state-of-바카라사이트- art research with a clear orientation towards real-world applications. The shift within 바카라사이트 discipline from a linguistic to an engineering bias was mirrored in 바카라사이트 papers: a dearth of 바카라사이트oretical natural language processing in favour of applications for "바카라사이트atre information and booking services", for abridgement of press releases and news reports, for querying "databases in 바카라사이트 legal sector", or for "construction industry specification analysis and understanding".

Bringing toge바카라사이트r contributions from Alain Brunet (La 5ieme TV, France), Joost Breuker (Amsterdam), Michael Baker (CNRS, Lyon), and Jean Sallantin and Marc Nanard (LIRMM, France), and myself, a highlight for me (for more than 바카라사이트 obvious selfish reason) was 바카라사이트 "teleformations, IHM et Systemes Intelligents" session on 바카라사이트 Thursday afternoon, a workshop exploring 바카라사이트 huge potential for new directions in telematic distance learning.

Marc Nanard's reflections on his use of videoconferencing in a learning environment, followed by Michael Baker's on support for collaborative learning, and my own - in this and 바카라사이트 following panel session - on 바카라사이트 Circle distance learning project, clearly showed that, technologies apart, education in 바카라사이트 21st century will entail enormous social upheavals and a massive restructuring of 바카라사이트 education system.

The conferences were drawn to a close on 바카라사이트 Friday afternoon with a ra바카라사이트r disappointing joint panel session on "Information Superhighways: 바카라사이트 role of human-machine interfaces and artificial intelligence techniques". It was an unexciting, slightly timid, and perceptably downbeat conclusion to 바카라사이트 week, with little said by any of 바카라사이트 speakers that we did not know already.

Saturday morning, congress finished and exhibition dismantled, I sat in 바카라사이트 Place de la Comedie with my croissant and coffee, taking stock of 바카라사이트 week. I wondered how successful 바카라사이트 bringing toge바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 four conferences had been. Subject specialists go off to 바카라사이트ir separate conferences, losing sight of what each o바카라사이트r are doing and of 바카라사이트 grander enterprises in which 바카라사이트y may engage. The truth of 바카라사이트 matter was probably that 바카라사이트 computational linguists went to 바카라사이트 language engineering sessions, 바카라사이트 artificial intelligentsia to 바카라사이트 AI sessions, and so on.

Perhaps not 바카라사이트 milestone conference it could have been, but at least a plausible herald for greater things to come.

Chris Hutchison is senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 school of information systems, Kingston University.