Abstract
The exploration of movement in humans and machines through gesture and nonverbal communication is the subject of the proposed research. In application to work in the merging of art and technology, new discoveries may be developed to integrate gesture with interactive technologies.The specific research is in the ongoing development of a movement language based on gesture and movement, that may be utilized as a tool in both artistic and scientific work. As the state of art shifts to an interactive environment between humans and machines, the application of dance and gesture may provide additional vehicles for human’ mankind understanding, communication, and expression. While progress is being made in the area of virtual reality, human sensory control and communication between humans and machines and between machines and machines is of interest.A truly interactive environment should include a dialogue between the operator and the machine. Human gestures are quite specific and unique functions of each individual and may provide a possible signature to specific human / machine interactions. Adaptations to specific human disabilities would make the technology more accessible to various populations. Gesture and movement control may provide a vehicle for such adaptations. This paper will report an investigation of research developing in the are of facial recognition based upon human facial expressions and gestures.
- Margo K. Apostolos (USA), UNIVERSITY Of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, USA. Dr. Apostolos has authored and presented numerous articles in her research and design of Robot Choreography. In addition to her doctoral and post-doctoral studies at Stanford University, she earned an M.A. in Dance from Northwestern University. She has taught in Chicago, San Francisco, at Stanford University, Southern Illinois University, and California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. Apostolos served as a Visiting Professor in the
Department of Psychology at Princeton University while on sabbatical in 1992-1993. Apostolos was a recipient of the prestigious NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship and worked for NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltec in Pasadena, California. At PL, Apostolos worked as a research scientist in the area of Space Telerobotics. Apostolos was a CO-Investigator at the Annenberg Center for Communication where she conducted research on facial expressions and human-computer interactions. Her work in this area continues in collaboration with the USC Neuroscience program. As Director of Dance, Apostolos has developed the new Dance Minor for the School of Theatre, directs the Dance Concert each semester, and coordinates the Open Gate Dance Program. Dr. Apostolos also presented scholarly research papers at the Sensor Fusion meeting in Boston and the SEAMUS (Society for Electrical and Acoustical Music) meeting on Movement, Music, and Media. The topics of the research papers included work Apostolos had conducted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA as a summer faculty fellow in Space Telerobotics. Apostolos is also spending the summer working on an Ethnic Dance project as part of a grant she has received from the Irvine Foundation. She has just completed a proposal to the National Science Foundation as a collaborator in a USC School of Engineering project.