Abstract: Developmental systems (1/11) are provided with an autotelic mechanism for driving their development. An autotelic component (1) in the system uses a mapping mechanism (2) to produce an output based on a set of inputs. The mapping mechanism (2) implements a mapping that is dependent upon a state associated therewith. The content of the state is changed by a learning/repair module (3) based on interactions between the system and the environment, and so reflects knowledge gained by this component as a result of its experience. The autotelic component (1) monitors its own performance with reference to the level of a set of one or more challenge parameters whose levels quantify the complexity of different parameters relating to the autotelic component (1). The state associated with the mapping mechanism 2 is altered depending upon the component's performance as evaluated during the monitoring. A controller (5) controls the levels of the challenge parameters.

Abstract: The emotion is to be added to the synthesized speech as the prosodic feature of the language is maintained. In a speech synthesis device 200, a language processor 201 generates a string of pronunciation marks from the text, and a prosodic data generating unit 202 creates prosodic data, expressing the time duration, pitch, sound volume or the like parameters of phonemes, based on the string of pronunciation marks. A constraint information generating unit 203 is fed with the prosodic data and with the string of pronunciation marks to generate the constraint information which limits the changes in the parameters to add the so generated constraint information to the prosodic data. A emotion filter 204, fed with the prosodic data, to which has been added the constraint information, changes the parameters of the prosodic data, within the constraint, responsive to the feeling state information, imparted to it.

Abstract: A content-management interface is implemented using superposition of graphical “widget” elements onto an on-screen display of the real-time image of a user. The widgets are motion-sensitive control elements which are responsive to user movement that produces motion of the user's displayed image at an on-screen location associated with that widget. The user can operate the widget virtually, for example by moving his hand over a widget, or pushing a widget along. Meta-data descriptive of the content to be managed is mapped onto widgets, enabling the user to interact with the meta-data, notably by changing it or by selecting content with reference to it.

Abstract: The method obtains a signature (S) of a gesture produced in free space, e.g. for producing gesture recognition commands, by deriving at least one time-evolving signal representative of muscular activity involved in producing the gesture and determining at least one value of a parameter yielded by that signal. The method comprises the steps of: time dividing the time-evolving signal (14) into sub-frames (SF1, SF2, . . . ), and for at least one sub-frame: determining at least one parameter value (Psfi) yielded by the signal over at least a part of that sub-frame, and expressing said parameter value as a component of a vector (S) along a dimension thereof specifically allocated to that sub-frame (SFi), the resultant vector yielding the signature (S) of said gesture. The invention also relates to an apparatus producing such signatures and commands by gesture recognition.

Abstract: Meta-data (tags) for an audiovisual file can be generated by producing an initial estimate of the tags and then revising the estimate (notably to expand it and/or render it more precise) based on the assumption that the relationships which hold between the different tags for a set of manually-tagged training examples will also hold for the tags of the input file now being tagged. A fully-automatic method and system is a hybrid between signal-based and machine-learning approaches, because the initial tag estimate is based on the physical properties of the signal representing the audiovisual file. The initial tag estimate may be produced by inferring that the input content will have the same tags as those files of the same kind, in the training database, which have a global similarity to the input audiovisual file in terms of signal properties.

Abstract: This invention serves to provide an apparatus for storing at least one sequence of information formed from a succession of information items in which an artistic or rational link is considered to exist between at least some pairs of adjacent items in the succession. The apparatus comprises an input for receiving the sequence of information, and a storage unit for storing the information. Further, a segmentation device is provided for segmenting the sequence of information into individually accessible segments, each corresponding to a respective information item, in response to segmentation data indicating end limits of the information items. The storage unit outputs the segments in a sequence corresponding to the succession of information items.

Abstract: A method and a system for generating sequencing information representing a sequence of items selected in a database. Similarity relation techniques are applied between the items.

Abstract: The invention allows to generate music as a real time continuation of an input sequence of music data, through a continuation phase comprising the steps of: detecting the occurrence of an end of a current input sequence of music data (12), and starting to generate said continuation upon the detected occurrence of an end of a current input sequence of music data. The data rate of the current input sequence of music data can be determined so as to time the start of the continuation substantially in phase with the determined data rate such that the transition from an end of the current input sequence to the starting of the continuation is substantially seamless.

Abstract: A storage unit stores data representative of one or several sound sources and a listener of said sound sources. These data comprise position data corresponding to respective positions of the sound sources and the listener. An interface is provided for enabling a user to select the listener or a sound source and to control a change in the position data corresponding to the selected listener or sound source. A constraint solver means changes, in response to the position data change controlled by the user, at least some of the position data corresponding to the element(s), among the listener and the sound sources, other than said selected listener or sound source, in accordance with predetermined constraints. The system further comprises a command generator for delivering control data exploitable by a music spatialisation unit as a function of the position data corresponding to the sound sources and the listener.

Abstract: Voice synthesis with improved expressivity is obtained in a voice synthesiser of source-filter type by making use of a library of source sound categories in the source module. Each source sound category corresponds to a particular morphological category and is derived from analysis of real vocal sounds, by inverse filtering so as to subtract the effect of the vocal tract. The library may be parametrical, that is, the stored data corresponds not to the inverse-filtered sounds themselves but to synthesis coefficients for resynthesising the inverse-filtered sounds using any suitable re-synthesis technique, such as the phase vocoder technique. The coefficients are derived by Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) analysis.

Abstract: The method serves to automatically identify in a set of data sequences at least one specific type of information contained in each data sequence of the set, wherein the type of information has an unknown presentation in the data sequences. It comprises the steps of: initially defining at least one characteristic feature of the specific type of information, and of expressing the characteristic feature(s) in terms of at least one recognition rule executable by processor means (2), applying the recognition rule(s) through the processor means to analyze the set of data sequences, determining in each data sequence a data portion thereof satisfying the recognition rule(s), and identifying the data portion as corresponding to the specific type of information.

Abstract: A clicker-training technique developed for animal training is adapted for training robots, notably autonomous animal-like robots. In this robot-training method, a behaviour (for example, (DIG)) is broken down into smaller achievable responses ((SIT)-(HELLO)-(DIG)) that will eventually lead to the desired final behaviour. The robot is guided progressively to the correct behaviour through the use, normally the repeated use, of a secondary reinforcer. When the correct behaviour has been achieved, a primary reinforcer is applied so that the desired behaviour can be “captured”. This method can be used for training a robot to perform, on command, rare behaviours or a sequence of behaviours (typically actions). This method can also be used to ensure that a robot is focusing its attention upon a desired object.

Abstract: An autonomous system comprises an agent, constituting the behavioural identity of a robot, and a supporting device that is a physical installation which can implement the agent. The agent has a state which has a controlling influence on, and changes during, system operation. The agent's state is distinguishable from, and isolatable from, the permanent parts of the supporting device. The supporting device comprises hardware, software components for operating the hardware, software components for maintaining the agent environment and non-changing parts of the agent implementation, and software components for reading/writing the isolable agent state. An extraction module can extract the agent state and transform it into a representation for transmission across a network. An inserting module can insert a received agent state into the supporting device so as to embody a received agent on that supporting device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of extracting a representation of its rhythmic structure, from a given signal. The representation is designed to yield a similarity relation between item titles.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method designed to be used to compute music sequences in all possible contexts and situations, including: Internet adaptive radio, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) with intelligent scheduling, music recommendation systems, and other innovative Electronic Music Distribution (EMD) services in general. These sequences are generated “iteratively”, and step by step. To the above end, there is provided a method of generating incrementally a sequence of items from a database containing said items, characterized in that the sequence is generated by implementing in combination a sequence completion system and a user profiling system, thereby taking into account both sequence coherence and user profile.

Abstract: An architecture, which may be embodied in hardware, software or a combination of the two, implementing self-biased conditioning and having at least one primary response network (1) comprising: a single activation node (X) responding to a first value of an input signal received from at least one sensor (SA) by outputting a trigger signal (O1), one or more motor centers (M) receiving the trigger signal (O1) and having an innate response to generate an output signal (O3) for activating an actuator (C1), means (y+, y−) for applying positive and negative reinforcement signals to the motor center (M) to promote or inhibit the response of the motor center (M) to the trigger signal (O1), one or more expectation nodes (Y) receiving an input signal from at least one second sensor (SB), and generating an output signal (O2) indicating when the generation of said output signal (O3) for activating the actuator is not appropriate; and an associative memory (2) generating said positive and negative reinforcement s

Abstract: A method and system for automatic generation of sequences (notably temporal or spatial sequences) from items in a database involves the organisation of the data in a generic format, and the formulation of the problem as a Constraint Satisfaction Problem using special constraint classes. The database format includes attribute values referring to a predetermined taxonomy allowing similarity and difference between the respective values to be evaluated.