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FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGIES BROUGHT A STEP CLOSER BY DTI FORESIGHT PROJECT

Information Note 20 November 2003

A robot home-help, call-centre computers you can have a conversation with, and wheelchairs controlled by thought. Right now, these seem pure science fiction, but a Foresight project on cognitive systems has helped scientists begin to make them a reality.

Currently, the development of artificial systems is hitting a wall in some key areas. Robots cannot pick up or move objects as well as a six-year old, and cannot visualise a 3D environment as well a two-year old. Computers can recognise basic speech, but have no understanding of what is being said.

The Foresight cognitive systems team has brought together for the first time the computer scientists who work on these problems, with brain scientists who research the most complicated thinking system known to man - the human mind.

The project, which comes to an end this week, has found that these communities should work together more closely because in some areas it may be the only way technology will progress. The areas with greatest potential highlighted by the project include:

  • language and speech - current voice-recognition software can provide 95% accuracy, but as it lacks true understanding, talking to a computer can be a frustrating experience - as anyone who has called a computerised call centre will know. Scientific collaboration could lead to advances in this technology and to proper conversations with computers;
  • 3d object localisation - computers currently find it hard to locate and remember the position of objects within cluttered images. By working together on this problem scientists could ultimately build robots capable of moving freely and carrying out tasks in a 3D environment; and
  • memory systems - the human brain has a remarkable capacity for storing and recalling all sorts of information, from sounds to images. Similarly, computers are increasingly being used as massive memory banks for multi-media information. As the storage capacity of computers increases, information retrieval will need to keep pace, and scientists are beginning to look to the human brain for inspiration.

Lord Sainsbury, Minister for Science and Innovation, and lead Minister for the project said;

"The Foresight cognitive systems project exceeded everyone's expectations. When it started there was little contact between computer researchers and brain scientists, and both sides were sceptical. Now there is genuine excitement about what they can achieve by working together. In the future, ideas such as robot carers, cars that communicate with each other to prevent accidents, and artificial eyes and ears could become a reality.

"The resulting technologies could have as much impact as the introduction of electricity, both socially and economically. The UK should seek to respond to this opportunity."

The project brought together over 100 scientists over the course of 18 months, giving them a unique opportunity to learn each other's technical jargon and to discuss the challenges they face. As a result, scientists from both communities are now working much closer together.

For example, Professor William Marslen-Wilson, an expert on human speech and language at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, and Professor Stephen Young, an expert in computer speech processing at the University of Cambridge, are hoping to develop speech recognition software with the ability to understand.

Although, the cognitive systems project is formally coming to an end, work will continue both within the DTI and other interested organisations to build upon what has been achieved so far.

Notes to Editors

1) The Foresight Cognitive Systems Project started in April 2002. Its aim was to produce a vision for the future through exploring recent advances in neuroscience, computer science and related fields, and their potential for future interaction. Follow-on work includes;

  • development of a strategy to take the collaboration forward. This will done by the two expert scientists who led the project, Professor Lionel Tarassenko of Oxford University, and Professor Richard Morris of the University of Edinburgh;
  • allocation of ˆ£50,000 for a number of Foresight Fellowships for small groups of leading scientists, to enable them to draw up detailed research strategies
  • development of a network to ensure that the new contacts created are maintained. This will be supported by the British Computer Society and the Experimental Psychology Network;
  • a debate to be run by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) to consider the regulatory and social issues that this technology might create; and
  • promotion of more cross-disciplinary work, through the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

2) The final event of the project is taking place on Thursday 20th November 2003 at IBM Hursley Park, Winchester. The event is for the participants and major stakeholders. It will present the findings and will announce the outcomes and who will be taking forward the proposed actions.

3) The UK Foresight programme aims to provide challenging visions of the future to input into current policy development. It does this by bringing together scientists and other experts to identify and explore potential opportunities from new science and technologies. The current round of Foresight, launched in April 2002, looks at three or four areas at any one time. The starting point for a project area is either a key issue where science holds the promise of solutions, or an area of cutting edge science where the potential applications and technologies have yet to be considered.