In Washington, D.C. today, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) unveiled the list of finalists for the 23rd Annual Codie Awards and recognized Vcom3D’s Vcommunicator Authoring Suite in the category of Best Vertical Market Business Content Solution.

“We were very pleased to learn of this recognition of our products by the SIIA,” said Carol Wideman, Vcom3D CEO. “The Vcommunicator Authoring Suite is a excellent example of the extensive talents found within our organization and we are always encouraged by the recognition of our peers in the software industry.”

Established in 1986, the Codie Awards celebrate outstanding achievement and vision in the software, digital information and education technology industries. Through a unique combination of journalist and peer review, the Codie Awards recognize 68 categories of outstanding products and services. This year’s 340 finalists represent an impressive array of technology and business excellence and success.

Over 250 judges from the trade press, consulting, educators, IT specialists and other knowledgeable, but neutral, experts have reviewed all of the products entered. The Finalists were chosen from more than 1,000 nominations submitted by more than 600 companies.

“Competition is tough this year and that makes selection as a Codie Finalist a real achievement,” said Ken Wash, SIIA president. “All the companies on this year’s list should feel justifiably proud of their recognition.”

The Finalist products will next be presented to the SIIA membership to determine the winners in each category with awards to be presented at a gala event on May 20 at the historic Palace Hotel in San Francisco, CA.

Call Scott Everhart at 407-737-7310 x122 for more details or click here to visit our web store to place your order.

Offer valid for new orders received between February 7, 2008 and March 8, 2008. FREE 3D character offer is a non-exclusive character which is designed to the requesting client’s specifications. Specifications include: age, gender, ethnicity, attire, etc. “Non-exclusive” refers to Vcom3D’s right to offer a non-branded/generic version of free character to other clients. Contact Vcom3D for more details.

“Our goal is to allow users to the ability to create custom libraries of characters based on their individual needs,” said Scott Everhart, Marketing and Sales Manager for Vcommunicator. “Making the characters available individually and at this price point will make it simple for users to tailor their character libraries to their specific needs.” When asked what users could expect from future character releases, Mr Everhart noted that plans are under way for additional multi-cultural characters designed for business professionals, the medical field and kids. “2008 is going to be an exciting year as we continue to add value to our retail character library,” he said, “and we will continue to enhance the custom character development services we currently offer clients as well.”

To begin expanding your library of realistic and life-like 3D animated characters, visit our web store or contact Scott Everhart to learn more about custom character creation.

Vcom3D and the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center of Gallaudet University are researching and developing a proof-of-concept system for creating and delivering animated stories using the full range of facial expression and body language of American Sign Language, as well as manual signs. Results from this Phase I proof-of-concept will provide the basis for developing an Authoring System and run-time software for creating these animated stories.

For this research, we will evaluate how the use of newly developed “Lifelike Expressive Avatars” affects the reading comprehension of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. The evaluation tool includes the following story, titled “The Forest”, which was written by Jason Stewart, teacher at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School.

Click here to see this video.

“The ability to learn a new language and also incorporate the highly contextual nuances of the local culture can mean the difference between life and death for our Soldiers deployed to other countries,” said Vcom3D CEO Carol Wideman. “Vcommunicator Mobile seeks to expand Soldiers’ ability to interact with local residents in a respectful and meaningful way.”

Vcommunicator Mobile was field tested by 10th Mountain Division’s 1st BCT (Brigade Combat Team) at the US Military’s Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, LA. Feedback from this test was positive. One of the 1st BCT sergeants indicated that Vcommunicator Mobile was incredibly easy to use. As he stated, “Vcommunicator puts the ‘friend’ in ‘user friendly’”. He also commented that he was able to use the device with no training or reference to a User Guide.

Vcom3D’s patented Vcommunicator Authoring Suite was used to create this mobile device. The Vcommunicator Authoring Suite includes a collection of software tools that allow authors with little or no animation experience to generate dynamic, life like virtual characters in an affordable way. Vcommunicator Studio software enables the author to record any spoken language, choose a character that automatically lip-syncs to any language, and create written text of mission-specific phrases as well as video animations of culturally appropriate gestures. The Vcommunicator Authoring Suite also includes Gesture Builder, a tool for creating project-specific gestures for addition to the gesture libraries provided with Vcommunicator Studio.

Founded in 1997, Orlando-based Vcom3D, Inc. is revolutionizing education, training and communication. The company has established itself as a leader in providing improved learning outcomes that include its multi-lingual, culturally-appropriate, life like characters. Learning is delivered on desktop and mobile devices. For more information, please visit our home page.

An Intersection of Passion and Technology

Jason Hurdich represents a hopeful statistical anomaly, a person born Deaf who is not only employed, but impressively serving as the Lead Manager for the Sign Language Division and Chief Linguist at Vcom3D. Through their work, Jason and Vcom3D hope to make it easier for others to follow his lead.

We hope our programs will lessen very high unemployment rates and very low literacy rates for the Deaf and tear down the barriers so that people with disabilities will have more success.

Vcom3D produces a suite of products for Deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers as well as learners of foreign languages. Digital animation is at the heart of the company’s concepts for learning by using animated avatars that sign fluidly. In Sign Smith Studio, ASL Animations Volumes 1-4, and Sign Smith Illustrated Dictionary, the characters, including a lizard designed to engage young children, can be manipulated for distance and position in virtual space allowing users to learn to recognize signs from various natural positions as in reality. Words or blocks of text are transliterated for students who are Deaf so that they build lexicon and conceptual knowledge. Gesture Builder allows users without programming experience to create custom or locally relevant gestures and map them onto avatars.

Focusing on these products for learners who are Deaf, Jason explains,

Teachers use the program to relate English words and their ASL (American Sign Language) correlations. The program distinguishes a best match using a filter, and there are drop down lists that can help. It’s very helpful to the Deaf in improving reading comprehension.

He explains that when Deaf individuals encounter words that cause confusion and frustration it is extremely beneficial to be able immediately to have the word and concept translated into familiar and recognizable ASL, even as the program helps to develop more sophisticated abilities in sign recognition itself.

Unique Aspects Of The Company

Vcom3D, according to Jason, is the leading company in a very small field generating applications expressly to help the Deaf and hard-of-hearing learn, and has taken on the challenge of mediating between languages with fundamentally different vernacular and grammatical structures, a complex technical process. Jason indicates that he can even envision a time at which systems will be able to mediate between English speech recognition input and animated ASL output at some point in the future: “We’re studying how to do that right now!” Grants from the National Science Foundation and Department of Education are substantially fueling development of various projects.

On Design

A core design concept for Vcom3D involves creating virtual learning environments that are as lifelike as possible.

As a linguist, I have discussions with the software team about the sign clarity and comprehension—it’s a complicated program based on having it able to sign fluidly.

Sophisticated algorithms with patents pending have been developed to permit a level of sharpness and fidelity in movement to allow tiny animated digits to be seen clearly on-screen. The application of compression permits Vcom3D products to use very little bandwidth, a design feature intended to support educational environments.

Collaboration

The desire to create products that involve substantial realism and accuracy forms the basis of a partnership with Gallaudet University, the flagship university for persons who are Deaf. In the collaboration, nuance in sign language behavior is studied for transfer into digital environments. This includes incorporating features of the sign styles and even minor behaviors—such as how different users of ASL tilt and lean their bodies—into separate avatars, allowing learners to be exposed to and prepared for natural variations. This extends even to the study of gender differences.

We are studying the sign styles of men versus women, how much the wrist is involved, what is feminine and masculine.

The collaboration is also assisting the company in helping to compensate for imbalances it recognizes in distance learning opportunities for persons with hearing loss even as it promotes a view of persons who are Deaf participating naturalistically in daily activities. Jason indicates the company is involved in developing a PDA-based application, and says,

Right now we’re having our current avatars behaving like normal human beings, moving around in 3-D environments—like walking around a basketball court—using their eye expressions and mouth movement. The Deaf can take that home for mobile applications. It’s for Deaf people who are having frustration doing long distance learning at home—like having a mobile instructor.

He hopes this will also meet another critical need: having children who are Deaf and their hearing families “learn sign together simultaneously.”

Knowing Users And User Requirements

Jason extends the concept of collaboration into connections with the marketplace and highlights the company’s responsiveness:

Collaboration is just very important. Without it, you wouldn’t know what the market needs, what people want. For example, people use to say the old avatar was too stiff in its animation. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback and the marketplace has caused adjustments to our facial expressions, our gestures, our animation. We work on making everything more fluid.

Vcom3D targets surveys to mainstream programs and schools for the Deaf in markets of all different sizes to help gather information. It partners with a third-party company, TERC, to administer testing that shows the effect of the software products through testing. Jason reports that substantial gains in reading have been obtained. (See the case study and final report from the NCTI-sponsored Technology in the Works research awarded to TERC in 2005.)

Changing Perspectives

Jason has seen some initial skepticism in the Deaf Community about technological supports simply because there are so few examples to see. Still, he indicates that persons who are Deaf have been very receptive to the concept of digital avatars presenting learning through animated sign language due in part to quality they see in the company’s animation. Even more importantly, the community is strongly motivated to see products help overcome substantial barriers and become integrated into strongly needed improvements in educational strategy. Vcom3D products also incorporate math and science vocabulary.

Etceteras

Jason emphasizes that the design of the company’s products supports

An independent learning style. Users don’t depend on a teacher so much or their parents—they can work free from that. It’s independent life learning. It’s empowering for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Source: NCTI

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