Abstract: A method of altering a social signaling characteristic of a speech signal. A statistically large number of speech samples created by different speakers in different tones of voice are evaluated to determine one or more relationships that exist between a selected social signaling characteristic and one or more measurable parameters of the speech samples. An input audio voice signal is then processed in accordance with these relationships to modify one or more of controllable parameters of input audio voice signal to produce a modified output audio voice signal in which said selected social signaling characteristic is modified. In a specific illustrative embodiment, a two-level hidden Markov model is used to identify voiced and unvoiced speech segments and selected controllable characteristics of these speech segments are modified to alter the desired social signaling characteristic.

Abstract: An electronic data transport system includes a mobile access point and a carrier for moving the mobile access point over a surface and/or water route. The mobile access point includes a communications module for wirelessly transmitting data to and receiving data from one or more client devices when the client device is in proximity to the mobile access point.

Abstract: Portable communication devices, such as Bluetooth enabled cellular phones, communicate with and identify like devices that are nearby, and send notification messages to a remote server. When a notification message is received at the server identifying two devices that have come within range of one another, the server compares the profile data associated with each of the two identified devices and facilitates communications between the devices when appropriate.

Abstract: Techniques and approaches that facilitate acquisition, transmission or retrieval of data for wearable devices are disclosed. These wearable devices are electronic devices, such as mobile computing devices or wireless communication devices, and are often small in scale and very portable. Wearable devices are able to communicate with one another to exchange information. Wearable devices are also able to exchange information with a portal server. Personal portals can also be provided for users of the wearable devices so that they can easily access information gather by their wearable device and subsequently transmitted to their personal portal.

Abstract: An electronic data transport system includes a mobile access point and a carrier for moving the mobile access point over a surface and/or water route. The mobile access point includes a communications module for wirelessly transmitting data to and receiving data from one or more client devices when the client device is in proximity to the mobile access point.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for detecting instances of a selected object or object feature in a digitally represented scene utilize analysis of probability densities to determine whether an input image (or portion thereof) represents such an instance. The invention filters images of objects that, although in some ways similar to the object under study, fail to qualify as typical instances of that object. The invention is useful in the detection and recognition of virtually any multifeatured entity such as human faces, features thereof (e.g., eyes), as well as non-rigid and articulated objects such as human hands.

Abstract: In a morphing system for creating intermediate images that, viewed serially, make an object in a source image appear to metamorphose into a different object in a target image, correspondences between feature points in the source and target images are determined by simulating the modes of motion of respective elastic sheets in which are embedded nodal points that correspond to respective feature points in the images. For each feature point, a generalized-feature vector is determined whose components represent the associated nodal point's participations in the various motion modes. Correspondences between feature points in the source and target images are determined in accordance with the closeness of the points' generalized feature vectors. Correspondences thus determined can additionally be used for alignment and object-recognition purposes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating three-dimensional, textured computer models from a series of video images of an object is disclosed. The invention operates by tracking a selected group of object features through a series of image frames and, based on changes in their relative positions, estimates parameters specifying camera focal length, translation and rotation, and the positions of the tracked features in the camera reference frame. After segmentation of the images into two-dimensional bounded regions that each correspond to a discrete surface component of the actual object, the texture contained in the various video frames is applied to these regions to produce a final three-dimensional model that is both geometrically and photometrically specified.