71Seiji IGI et al.

1 Introduction

Computerization has recently made rapidprogress, with the massive development ofinformation communication technology. Alarge amount of information now entershomes, enterprises, and administrative agen-cies, and is exchangeable at any time betweenanyone anywhere. This has been made possi-ble through optical-cable, mobile communica-tion, digital broadcasting, and large-capacityglobal networks. This flow of informationwill continue throughout the early 21st centu-ry.

At the same time, Japan is rapidly agingand the Japanese are having fewer children,leading to an extremely rapid rate of demo-graphic change with in Japan. The NationalInstitute of Population and Social SecurityResearch estimated that the elderly shouldrepresent one in five of the population in theyear of 2006, one in four in 2015, and one in

three in 2050. White Paper on the Disabledproduced by the Prime Minister’s Office[1]reported that officially registered (holdingimpaired-persons handbooks) visuallyimpaired, hearing- and speech-impaired, andphysically impaired now number 350,000,360,000, and 1,550,000, respectively. Thehearing- and speech-impaired, including thosewho became so at an old age, are said to totalsix million. The increasingly accepted con-cept of “normalization” has provided the dis-abled with equal rights and allowed them tolive and work together with the non-disabledwithout being obliged to move from theirhome towns. This concept has resulted ingradual progress toward barrier-free environ-ment, but barriers have still not been ade-quately eliminated. One normally thinks ofsuch barriers as those involving transportationand roads but, in an advanced informationsociety, in addition to such a physical environ-ment, information must also be barrier-free.

5 Towards Creation of a CommunicationsSupport Environment

5-1 Barrier-free Communications

Seiji IGI, Shan LU , and Ikuko Eguchi YAIRI

This paper describes the research on the barrier-free communication focusing on theinformation communication technology that it should realize in aging society in the twenty-first century. To begin with, the research of the information barrier-free in which the elderlyand the disabled would not be covered with the disadvantage in reception and transmissionof information is described. Especially, robustness of the system and utilization of non-ver-bal information are important in the technology of sign language and voice interpretationthat support the communication between deaf people and normal listener. Next, roboticcommunication terminals which supports the mobility such as free and easy strolls of theelderly and the disabled is described. It is important that the system would be able to corre-spond to dynamism of the real world and diversity of the elderly and the disabled.

Keywords elderly, disabled, barrier-free, sign language, translation, mobility support, robot

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In 1998, the Ministry of Posts andTelecommunications created the guidelines“Accessibility to Telecommunication Facili-ties,” in order to realize a barrier-free informa-tion environment[2]. These guidelines areintended to help create an environment inwhich everyone, including the non-disabled,the disabled, and the elderly, can enjoy thebenefits of the growing information society.In the developing advanced information socie-ty, it is urgent that telecommunication technol-ogy that helps create a barrier-free informationsociety for the elderly, the disabled, and allother people be developed, in order to allowinformation to be sent and received and toincrease the overall health and safety of all ofthe country’s citizens.

This paper describes a study on barrier-free communication. With a focus ontelecommunication technology, we continuethis study in an effort to realize such commu-nication in the aging society of the 21st centu-ry, in which fewer and fewer children arebeing born. Specifically, this paper focuses ona barrier-free information society that allowsthe elderly and disabled to easily send andreceive information, and on a robotic commu-nication terminal (RCT) that helps enable suchpeople to move comfortably.

2 Barrier-free information

The “digital divide” is a major problem.Depending on their location, income, and edu-cational level, some have access to Internetinformation and others do not. This is a par-ticularly serious problem for the elderly anddisabled. Many countries have attempted toeliminate such a divide[3].

As a barrier-free communication terminalfor the visually impaired, a screen reader hasbeen developed for input and output (or outputonly) using the voice (or the sense of touch)[4][5]. This device, however, leaves manyproblems for conveying information usinggraphical user interfaces (GUI) to the visuallyimpaired unsolved, because GUIs are devel-oped for sighted people. For example, text

can be vocalized, but it is difficult explainingan illustration to the visually impaired.Describing a photo may be a problem in thefuture, but it should be possible to communi-cate information contained in a chart, table, orgraph. However, the screen reader is a revolu-tionary invention in the sense that it requiresno other person to assist in accessing the Inter-net. It is also useful for the elderly with pooreyesight. More advanced voice-recognitiontechnology is expected to be developed,enabling widespread use by those who cannotsee the screen clearly while traveling.

Those who become hearing-impaired overthe course of their lifetime require a differentapproach. As they have already acquired theability to understand the Japanese language, itis preferable to provide text rather than signlanguage. Teletext is used widely today in TVnews broadcasts[6]. In the future, when thetechnology advances to such a level that thecommunication terminal can handle generalspeaker’s voices, the postnatal hearing-impaired may be able to view a text transla-tion and communicate with those aroundthem.

In the following, we describe a study on anadvanced dialog system between sign lan-guage and voice, to support communicationbetween a person of normal hearing and ahearing-impaired person (a deaf person) whouses sign language on a daily basis.

2.1 Advanced interpretation systembetween sign language and voice

A deaf person has more difficulty in every-day communication than in the use of a com-munication terminal. The general use of lipreading, written communication, and sign-lan-guage interpreters cause the speaker to feelstress and expose the privacy of the disabledperson to the interpreter. To avoid these prob-lems, studies are underway to develop a tech-nology for recognizing and converting signlanguage into voice, and vice versa, as shownin Fig. 1[7][8].

At the Communications Research Labora-tory, we have been working since 1995 to

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develop a system for the recognition and syn-thesis of sign language as a barrier-free tech-nology for the disabled. Upon completion ofPhase 1 in 1999, we developed a dialog sys-tem between sign language and voice[7] (asshown in Fig. 2), and a video database for sign

language[9]. The system for the synthesis ofsign language allows the generation of sign-language animation upon input of spokenJapanese, and is close to being put into practi-cal use[10]. However, the translation systeminvolves practical difficulties in the recogni-

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Technology for interpreting sign language and voiceFig.1

Dialog system between sign language and voiceFig.2

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tion of sign language, leaving many problemsunsolved.

Fig. 3 describes the future studies. Thesestudies will be intended, in particular, todevelop robust systems for general speakers.To make possible sign language sentencerecognition, it is necessary to automaticallydetect the end of each word in video images ofsign language, and to divide each sign-lan-guage sentence into meaningful units. TheJapanese language and sign language are lin-guistically different. Thus, to solve the prob-lems involved in the treatment of a naturallanguage, it is necessary to break a spokensentence down into sign-language words, andto rearrange those words in accordance withthe sign language grammar. It is also neces-sary to reconstruct a complicated structureinto a simple one. We plan on developing anadvanced interpretation system between sign-language and voice by recognizing non-verbalinformation and converting it into a dynamicnatural sign language. Such informationincludes the shape of the lips, gaze lines, ges-tures, and other non-verbal information. In

the future, it will be necessary to furtherimprove translation technology by analyzingthe context and inferring the intention of theinformation sender. We plan on applying thesign-language synthesis technology to foreignsign languages, particularly Korean, in coop-eration with Korean researchers. We will alsoconsider developing an application in Ameri-can sign language at a later date.

2.2 Communication between thosewith different types of disabilities

In the future, as shown in Fig. 4, it will benecessary to develop 1) an interface thatallows elderly or disabled users to operate acommunication terminal using natural voicesand gestures, without being conscious of theterminal; 2) an information filter that allowseffective access to needed information; 3) acommunication agent; and 4) media conver-sion technology. Once the above developmentis achieved, we should be able to provide asystem for communication between personswith different types of disabilities.

Advanced interpretation technologies between sign language and voiceFig.3

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3 Robotic communication terminal (RCT)

Outdoor walking is a major problem forthe elderly and disabled. A mobility supportsystem created through the use of informationcommunication technology could allow suchpeople to live more productive lives. Such asystem will serve as a substitute for the earsand eyes, to allow the elderly and disabled toenjoy a more active and pleasant life, includ-ing walking and shopping, without the help ofothers. Studies have been conducted on tech-nologies for specific disabilities, such as anavigation system using PHS and GPS [11],and an intelligent wheelchair for the physical-ly disabled[12]. In the following section, wedescribe a robotic communication terminal(RCT) that has been in development since1999[13], a comprehensive mobility supportsystem for a variety of elderly and disabledpersons.

3.1 RCTFig. 5 is an illustration showing three

types of systems to be developed. They willincrease the mobility of the elderly and dis-abled by providing, through the computer net-work during travel, information on the ever-changing environment around the user, as wellas on alternate routes to the destination in theevent of an accident that obstructs traffic. Asthe users of a terminal for such systems are theelderly or disabled, the terminal should be suf-ficiently intelligent to help users on the streetavoid danger. It must increase the user’smobility by helping him/her to recognize aproblem, to move, and to obtain information.The support system consists of an environ-ment-embedded system having distributed ter-minals and a mobile system traveling with theuser (either a user-carried mobile system or auser-carrying mobile system). To realize sucha system, we plan to study (1) an environ-ment-embedded system for detecting road-sur-face conditions, obstacles, and moving bodies;(2) a mobile system for monitoring a user’s

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Multi-modal communication system for the disabledFig.4

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actions and environment and detecting theuser’s intention, obstacles, and moving bodies;and (3) a map information database on barrier-free facilities that enables the retrieval ofroutes. To generalize the function of supportsystem, we examine (4) what support tasksshould be performed for each of the classifieddisabilities.

3.2 Environment-embedded systemFig. 6 shows the environment-embedded

system. This system obtains information fromfixed cameras to monitor passing pedestrians,bicycles, parked and moving vehicles, andother obstacles 24 hours a day and, if neces-sary, to provide such information to users ofthe support system and the mobile system.

We started collecting data after preparingthe hardware and installing the algorithm forrecognizing moving bodies during the daytime[14]. We intend to improve the accuracy ofboth recognition and real-time performance toenable information on road conditions to be

provided in order to increase mobility, toallow the study of the recognition of movingbodies, to help the user adapt to special envi-ronments such as those with wind and rain,and to cope with quickly moving and danger-ous objects such as vehicles.

3.3 Mobile systemWe developed an intelligent city walker

(ICW) as a user-carrying mobile system, asshown in Fig. 7[15].

The present system is intended to functionas follows:1) To create and execute a danger-avoidance

plan in accordance with the acquired user’ssurroundings and operational situation

2) To create and execute a danger-avoidanceplan after obtaining environmental informa-tion from the environment-embedded sys-tem

3) To provide the user with all necessaryinformation, inform him/her of dangers,and infer the user’s intention

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Robotic communication terminals improving the mobility of an elderly or disabledFig.5

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Environment-embedded systemFig.6

ICW and automatic obstacle avoidance through the combined use of an ICW and anenvironment-embedded system

Fig.7

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We have not yet begun to develop a user-carried mobile system. The user-carrying sys-tem will, in addition to carrying the user, haveall of the functions that such a user-carriedsystem will have. Thus, generalities in theabove functions 2) and 3) will be taken intoconsideration in its development.

3.4 Map information database of bar-rier-free facilities

It will be necessary to study how to accu-mulate information on barrier-free facilities incity areas, where mobile terminals and envi-ronment-embedded systems will be used inthe future. It will also be necessary to studyhow to guide elderly and disabled users totheir desired destinations. We are developingmap information databases on barrier-freefacilities in all areas of Koganei City andsome areas of Kokubunji City, Tokyo, as fol-lows[16]:1) Survey of the elderly and disabled2) Design of a network database for pedestrian

walking routes3) Preparation of the network database for

pedestrian walking routes4) Retrieval and provision of functions of the

network database for pedestrian walkingroutesIn the future, we plan to develop functions

for allowing the database to be accessed bythe public on the Internet, navigating the dis-abled by different methods depending on thetype of disability, and guiding the user byshowing navigation text as well as vocalizingit. We also plan on providing barrier-freeinformation to the mobile system, and match-ing the barrier-free data with data collected bythe environment-embedded system.

3.5 Determination of mobility-supporttasks in accordance with the type ofdisability

For the sake of practicality, it is necessaryto prepare a general-purpose system ratherthan a system specific to each type of disabili-ty. We must therefore investigate in detailwhat types of mobility-support tasks are suit-

able for each disability and for combinationsof disabilities. We distributed a questionnaireto conduct this investigation and collectedover 3000 replies from elderly and disabledpersons. The results of the questionnaire willbe made available to the public so that it canbe used by similar developers and researchersas reference data.

4 Results and future problems

The rapidly developing information com-munication technology is considered the mostimportant form of support for our aging socie-ty. This is due to the fact that mutual commu-nication between the elderly and disabled isrealized through the use of such technology,allowing a greater interaction between people,greater participation in society, a better chanceof finding jobs, and improvement in directconnections to other rich social resources. Itis estimated that 28 million people 65 years ofage or older will benefit from the developedtechnology in 2010, and that this figure willcontinue to increase until the middle of the21st century. It is also estimated that there are2.8 million elderly people who require care,and that this figure will reach 5.2 million in2025. There are not as many disabled per-sons, but they should have the same funda-mental human rights. It should be stressed inparticular that a system developed for the eld-erly and disabled is useful for normal, healthypeople as well. In consideration of the popu-larity among the hearing-impaired of portabletelephones displaying text, a system createdfor normal healthy persons may be developedinto a device useful to the elderly and dis-abled.

It is estimated that, as of the year 2000, thepercentage of people over 65 years of age isgreater in Japan than in the U.S., Germany,Britain, France, and even Sweden. The Min-istry of Health and Welfare states that one per-son in three will be elderly in 2050, and thatno other countries will reach this rate by thatyear. It is to be hoped that the technologicaldevelopments described above will result in

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the construction of a model system for otheradvanced nations that will become an aging

society later than Japan.

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Seiji IGI

Leader, Human-Computer IntelligentInteraction Group, Keihanna HumanInfo-Communications Research Center

Human interface

Ikuko Eguchi YAIRI, Dr. Eng.

Reseacher, Human-Computer Intelli-gent Interaction Group, KeihannaHuman Info-Communications ResearchCenter

Robotics, AI

Shan LU, Dr. Eng.

Senior Researcher, Human-ComputerIntelligent Interaction Group, Keihan-na Human Info-CommunicationsResearch Center

Pattern recognition