Human Communication Project

Towards full realization of the richness of natural human communication



1.Introduction
　　As symbolized by the term "IT (Information Technology) revolution", digital networks connecting more and more computers have caused a paradigm shift in the information communication environment. A change from "space/time-savings" to "the creation of diverse space and time" is a typical example of this shift. In reality, a sort of cyber-society is emerging on networks. Such networks will not be merely "means for transmitting information" but will be expected to provide "new spaces" or "new worlds" where people can meet, live, work, and perform social activities. Moreover, a new information-driven culture is expected to arise from the coexistence of people and computers.
　　Along with the change and development of the information communication environment, human-to-machine interfaces natural to humans have been becoming more and more important. Although many studies have focused on so-called human-centered interfaces, these have not yet reached a satisfactory level. To make a significant investigation into the underlying principles of human-to-machine interfaces, it is essential to perform basic research to understand human communication functions.
　　Another aspect of human communication we cannot disregard is the fact that human beings cannot evolve fast enough to keep up with the rapid changes in IT. What should the information communication environment be like for humans so that they can make full use of it as a new tool to enrich human nature? In order to explore these very relevant issues, it is extremely important to understand information processing in the brain and how languages are invented, plus the various tools for communication and the developed capabilities using them, such as innate human biological functions and the abilities of learning and adaptation.
　　On the other hand, although the rapid changes in today's information society are giving people more chances to encounter other people and information, it seems that people feel not only isolation and alienation, but also a lack of psychological well-being. Why do humans wish for communication? What do they want from communication? To investigate these fundamental issues, when regarding communication as a sort of instinct that human beings have inherited, it is also essential to understand human-to-human, human-to-information, and human-to-system communication from the viewpoint of informatics, including the humanities and social sciences.
　　This article introduces our human communication project in which we are developing basic research for pursuing the essence of communication from the viewpoint of understanding humans.

2. Toward the pursuit of the essence of communication from
the viewpoint of understanding humans
　　To further this human communication project, based on the above-mentioned views about communication, we focus on the following four mechanisms: 1) spoken language communication mechanisms as one of the most basic functions of human communication, 2) visual cognition and communication mechanisms as another such function, 3) neuro-computational mechanisms of communication for understanding information processing in the brain, and 4) emergent communication mechanisms to account for the creation of various new types of relationships between humans and information.

3. Spoken language communication mechanisms
　　Speech is used to exchange information; it is used for descriptive thinking; it conveys the emotions and physical attributes of a speaker. Given all of these diverse functions, speech plays a crucial role in our daily lives and in the functioning of society. It is not until we have a fundamental understanding of human language acquisition, language production, and language perception that a breakthrough in the development of autonomous spoken language processing systems will be achieved. Only when we understand human language mechanisms can we develop a system that is capable of natural speech synthesis, robust speech recognition, and effective second language training.
　　In this research we investigate human communication from the standpoint that it is largely based on innate and learned abilities that allow us to both produce and perceive speech (Fig. 1).
　　We study speech using two approaches. First, we examine the biological mechanisms of speech[1]. Speech is a method of communication that utilizes the human body; therefore the ability to use language, as well as the physical characteristics of a person's speech, greatly depend on the form and function of the body.
　　Also important to the acquisition of spoken language is one's linguistic environment after birth. Thus, our second focus is on the spoken language acquisition mechanism (Fig. 2). Our investigations of speech acquisition will clarify relationships among basic mechanisms of speech processing. Our studies explore the link between speech perception and production, as well as the associations among language processing at the levels of phonemes, prosody, vocabulary, and syntax. In turn, our findings will be used to help develop effective foreign language learning programs[2].
　　By combining results from investigations of both biological mechanisms and language acquisition mechanisms, we will create innovative language technologies. Ultimately, we hope to create an autonomous spoken language processing system in which speech synthesis and recognition are co-developed.

4. Visual cognition and communication mechanisms
　　In communication, humans interact with one another and also with their environment. Communicative interaction is dynamic in that it occurs over time and space and in that it has physical effects on the environment, and vice versa. We have labeled this interdependence "communication dynamics" and its scope includes the participation of aspects of human cognition such as intention, emotion, learning, and adaptation, as well as more basic physical, chemical, and biological factors[3].
　　We currently focus on the analysis and modeling of human visual and multi-modal cognitive systems and on the development of artificial systems that can recognize and navigate the 3D-environment over time as well as interact with humans through realistic talking head animation (Fig. 3).
　　Many aspects of this challenging task must be clarified. For example, how does dynamical change in the environment affect visual cognition; or how do we recognize and navigate the environment using multi-modal (e.g., visual and auditory) information?
　　Based on such knowledge, artificial systems that can produce human expression and emotion, such as humanoid robots and computer agents that mediate human communication, can be developed. These systems have to minimize the incongruity of interaction between natural and artificial communicants while achieving as natural a communicative result as possible.
　　The analysis, modeling, and development of these dynamical systems will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms and requirements for human communication. This understanding, in turn, will lead to the development of optimal systems and environments for communication between human and machine.

5. Neuro-computational mechanisms of communication[4]
　　We believe that human intelligence originated from the ability to communicate non-verbally, and that, to this end, it is indispensable to understand the mechanisms of information processing in the brain (Fig.4). In this research, we are investigating computational theories of neural mechanisms for understanding the essence of communication capabilities, that is, neural functions with which humans interact with others in the outside world (Fig. 5).
　　Recently a new research movement that focuses on the analysis of "human intelligence and the mind" has been emerging. However, this is still an extremely difficult topic. The biggest challenge, since we cannot apply electrophysiological and anatomical methods to the study of humans, is how to use physiological data to understand the mind. Brain imaging methods are helping us achieve remarkable progress and yet, though these data are valuable, they are not sufficient for reproducing or understanding information processing in the brain. After reflecting on past failures of conventional neuroscience research, we adopt a computational approach. That is, we construct a brain in order to understand the brain, and we understand the brain through building a brain, to the extent that we can build a brain by utilizing multiple methods such as brain imaging, behavioral and psychophysical experimentation, modeling of the physiological data, and robot engineering.
　　More concretely, we provide computational theories for understanding the basic functions of communication such as motor control, learning, and attention. Thus, computational theories and models are examined using behavioral (psychological) experiments and non-invasive methods of investigating human brain activities (e.g., fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and MEG (magnetro-encephalography)). We are also testing our theories by applying them to models of the cyberhuman (from the creation of human-like agents to the humanoid robot). Hopefully, it will become possible to improve and refine the models by doing the above studies over and over again.

6. Emergent communication mechanisms
　　The human being, a social entity, wishes to form relationships with others, and hopes to find meaning in those relationships. Postulating communication as "forms of relationships with others", we are conducting research on emergent communication mechanisms. The objectives are not only to activate social interaction between people and information, but also to create systems with which people can form diverse relationships through interaction[5].
　　Here, "relationships" means that elements are related topologically, syntactically, and/or semantically. The term "emergent" implies the sort of process in which a macroscopic structure or a global state is spontaneously generated from, changed by, and developed through interactions among micro-level elements. We focus on mechanisms that enable pieces of information exchanged between people and systems to be self-organized into the sort of structure that is meaningful to people, and with which the structure and the meanings themselves can be autonomously changed and developed.
　　Using such emergent mechanisms, we look at the instinctive desires and habits that human beings have inherited and attempt to activate such desires and habits. People want to know more about themselves, to ensure the significance of their existence, and to determine their social value and position within a group. We are devising new mechanisms to arouse people's instinctive desires and support them to express themselves so that they can be motivated and enticed to spontaneously take part in the cyber-society.
　　In this research, we are investigating the following research topics (Fig. 6): a) evolutionary systems as the basic methodology for evolution and emergence; b) artificial emotion to cultivate a sense of value in systems through interactions with others; c) a socio-informatics project to investigate the information-flow structure and role of communication in social dynamics, and d. genome informatics as a new frontier of informational biology with a knowledge base and gene network simulator.

7. Conclusion
　　The individual and social actions and behaviors, as well as the daily-life activities of humans cannot be fulfilled without communication. Humans cannot live without communication with the world around them. Thus, research on communication has rich potential for development and wide-ranging application in human existence, human living, and the relationship between humans and nature, as well as in technological development in the field of information technologies. Towards understanding the essence of such communication, we have been conducting diverse research on Human Communication from the viewpoint of understanding humans, and we have been attempting to create state-of-the-art technologies to reach the frontiers of new possibilities in human communication. We believe that technologies based on understanding humans will provide the means for a modern and future society that supports the full richness of human nature.



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