Slashdot Mirror
DARPA's 'Social Puppet'
Roland Piquepaille writes "Videogame creators are heavily using software to animate objects or characters without reprogramming them between two scenes. Now, game designers from the University of Southern California (USC) have developed 'Social Puppet,' a computer engine to 'help soldiers learn unfamiliar languages by interacting with animated characters.' For this project, financed by DARPA, the researchers have used their expertise in previous videogames used by the armed forces, such as 'Tactical Iraqi.' But previous games were focused on teaching language and customs while Social Puppet is giving on-screen characters human non-verbal communication behaviors."
Just another tool for the military? I can't honestly see the benefits of such a system... especially when soldiers can interact with the actual people in a different society.
Finally a training tool to understand people who are piss drunk.
Why is the company that is at the forefront of intelligent vehicles collaborating with the U.S. army!?
Finally, a real use for clippy!
"I noticed that you're having some problems with Farsi."
500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
Why is the company that is at the forefront of intelligent vehicles collaborating with the U.S. army!?
Umm... the US Army is part of the Department of Defense , and DARPA stands for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
great, now soldiers will learn crowd control and interacting with other cultures in the isolation of a computer.
i don't want to be too cynical, and i'm sure this is an interesting approach, but i still would prefer soldiers to get this kind of cultural briefing in a less synthetical environment. like spending a few days with people from the target culture, or even better, spending a few days in a country where such a culture persists.
verbal and non-verbal communication when controlling a (possibly violent) situation is hard enough with people understanding each others signals. when cultures clash that haven't met before (for the participants) this can be aggravated to utmost misunderstandings.
at least, this kind of thing is given some thought, instead of sending people around the world (who've never gotten out of their hometown before) without prior cultural briefings.
There's more to "interacting" than killing, raping, and torturing. I say it's about time soldiers learn that.
Well, our soldiers also passed out soccer balls in an effort to win hearts and minds. But seriously, this program is a useful tool for training to counter islamist insurgent battle tactics: the use of women and children as human shields, the fake surrender, the roadside bomb, and sniping from mosques.
an ill wind that blows no good
The screen shots have pictures of soldiers being greeted by men in villas and asking for food in local stores. Are the scenarios where the iraqis tell the soldiers to get bent? It sounds like software that would better be suited to showing kids how to handle an exhange trip to Europe.
As cool as it sounds, I doubt it has more use than a phrase book, other than it's a bit easier for people who can't be bothered to learn. At least they can take the book to a warzone (or do all soldiers have a laptop?). Nice tech. demo though.
"You know you don't act like a scientist, you're more like a game show host." Dana Barret
Suicide bombers and guided munitions equate to the same thing.
So true, but this will label you a terrorist lover and you're about to get modded "-1, Irrelevant".
Perhaps, but would you leave national defense in the hands of suicide bombers?
> while Social Puppet is giving on-screen characters human non-verbal communication behaviors
/. crowd? You know, something that teaches us how to act in social situations like bars and parties?
Can they release an expansion pack for the
And no, Leisure Suit Larry doesn't count.
-David
I bet this was originally designed as dating software.
"You know you don't act like a scientist, you're more like a game show host." Dana Barret
Nice screenshot. Where's the BFG? Oh. Wrong Game. -jim
Good lord.
Two muppets walk into a bar. . .
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est - Sir Francis Bacon
> Any group using force to project its terms is a terrorist group.
Indeed, that's why all World War 2 vets are actually terrorists. It doesn't matter if your enemy is the loathsome Nazis or headed by a self-proclaimed deity on earth (Imperial Japan) who invaded China and killed millions of Chinese. Imposing force is always terrorism. For that matter, when cops impose force on me after robbing a bank - they're terrorists. When will people learn that a big peace rally would've stopped the Nazis dead in their tracks?
It's the X part of x-soldier that makes me feel much safer.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
No... it's in better left in the hands of the politicians who are responsible for the civilians who have been killed in Iraq in the name of freedom.
And another reason is that DARPA pays American universities a lot of money for quality research that helps Defense's goals.
The software will help to avoid scenarios like this one:
"Hey, Jones... do you know what 'foq yeew ameh reekans' means in iraqi?"
They made an interactive version of Team America World Police? and they plan on using poorly made, yet hilarious, movie puppets to teach our soldiers to respond to Durkah durkah bak ka la ka dah mohammed jihad?
er..only in every circustance you mentioned it's been an attempt to stop a group (nation's army) that was using force to impose their terms on another country's soil: no quite the same 11 or so people hijacking a passenger aircraft.
"You know you don't act like a scientist, you're more like a game show host." Dana Barret
Indeed, that's why all World War 2 vets are actually terrorists. It doesn't matter if your enemy is the loathsome Nazis or headed by a self-proclaimed deity on earth (Imperial Japan) who invaded China and killed millions of Chinese.
Sadly, many people really do think this way.
Think LAN-party!
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I would like to see my tax dollars spent on better schools and higher salaries for better teachers than on a software emulation of a social puppet. You cannot fix a person in the Armed Forces after some 18 years of neglect.
I hope they also teach the language. Body language surely helps when communicating, and it keeps you from making offensive gestures while trying to calm an angry mob, but saying the wrong word at the wrong time... well, I'm sure you know the sketch I borrowed the subject from.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
It's only a matter of time before controversial pictures surface showing puppets being sexually humiliated, threatened with dogs, and beaten until their stuffing is hanging out.
I would prefer that the US spend its military resources on defending the nation (as opposed to invading and occupying other nations).
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
Because the soldier's interaction is all verbal.
That means that the soldier does not learn to moderate HIS non-verbal cues based upon the non-verbal cues of the other person.
Jeez, I thought it would be just like here where they fall all over themselves making free arabic classes available, pressing 2 on the phone to get english, giving special tests, etc.
Bite me
Well, computer simulations have been used for quite a while now for things like piloting aircraft, learning to sail supertankers, driving lessons etc and they appear to have runs on the board. My concerns involve the line between reality and simulation - like if you shoot, bash, kick someone on a computer screen or in VR then that's ok 'cos they are not real, but if you do the same sort of things in reality then the stuff will hit the fan. Training soldiers works on a very fundamental level so they react rather than philosophise or ponder multiple alternative options over a cup of coffee. If the soldier has been trained with what will always be a finite number of responses then what happens when the soldier is presented with something that didn't cross the programmers mind? Even if the programmers have been sourcing their information from experienced warriors and cultural experts the likelihood is that us humans, being what we are, will respond in other than textbook ways.
Locals know to make allowances for foreigners. Think about it, if you're talking to a brand new immigrant who speaks english just well enough to get by, and has a horrible accent, are you going to care about his "non-verbal cues"? Or will you appreciate the fact that he's making an effort to communicate in your language, and listen primarily to his words instead of tone and body language?
Defend it from what exactly? Do you realize that something like 800 civilians are killed every month by these "proud defenders of Iraq", while civilian casualties inflicted by US troops sit at a small fraction of that?
"To save the villiage, we had to burn the villiage" comes to mind.
The only ones defending their homeland are the ING and the IP. The "freedom fighters" we hear so much about aren't fighting to protect their homeland, they're fighting to protect a regressive culture and their own power over others.
The project is part of a larger Program at DARPA nicknamed DARWARS that is building a series of game-based interactive training for the military.
DARWARS has been working with DoD contractors and game companies (and are interested in working with more game companies).
One of the games produced was BBN's Ambush!. Several other games are listed in the http://www.dodgamecommunity.com/ web site funded by DARWARS.
An official description of the program can be found here.
The original program was to produce a MMORPG for training in a persistent continuous war, but it has become more of a repository of games for military training.
This was exactly the place where a thought out, literate post could have helped change his and other readers preconceived notions of what soldiers actually do. Instead you tell the "whiny little shit" to "go fuck himself". Way to strengthen the stereotype dude.
****START SIMULATION****
Puppet Girl: So, what's your name?
Well, in my guild it's 'IronFist', where I'm a nordic dwarf ha ha but really it's William although my mom still calls me 'Billy'....
****FAILURE****
****RESTART SIMULATION****
Who modded this insightful?
I'm thinking that they could've gotten better results for less money simply by hiring multilingual hookers to give their soldiers an "education" in language and cultural idiosyncracies prior to deployment. That's how the U.S. army has traditional done the job for the last century, although I admit it's usually been *after* the country in question has been occupied....
Max
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
If we fought like the terrorists do we'd see a bodycount that rivals the second World War.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
I just watched DARPA's social puppet on TV last month, giving the State of the Union address to Congress.
--
make install -not war
Thats actually a very good idea. Perhaps someone with some knowhow in this area could write out likely scenarios, with 5-7 different things to say, and an explanation of why you should say this one, or not that one. Then someone could code the frontend and we'd have a chance next Friday night!
er..only in every circustance you mentioned it's been an attempt to stop a group (nation's army) that was using force to impose their terms on another country's soil: no quite the same 11 or so people hijacking a passenger aircraft.
The original quote, as written, makes no distiction at all between situations. It simply says, flat-out that: "any group using force to project its terms is a terrorist group". Certainly the Allies in World War 2 or any other conceivable war, no matter how just, fits that definition. At the very least, the original statement needs to be amended in some way. Maybe it needs the caveat "under certain circumstances, it's okay to use force when the other guy does it to you first" or something along those lines? I could come up with other exceptions to this rule. Thus, the simplistic statement, "Any group using force to project its terms is a terrorist group" is very obviously false when there are no qualifiers to that statement.
by Kotadama: The Power of Words
'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' II Corinthians 5:7
Sadly, no one else can see great altruistic deeds of the United States.
It would be good to see which gestures, which we might make without knowing, would accidently cause another culture to be offended.
Does this remind anyone of that 2DTV episode with Dubya and the sock puppet? You know...
General: So that explains how volatile the international situation is at the moment, sir.
Dubya: I see, general. Eeeeh...
General: You didn't understand a word of that, did you, Mr President?
Dubya: No I did not.
General: Would you like me to get Professor Liebstrom to explain it?
Dubya: I think that might help!
The General takes off his sock and puts it on his hand.
Professor Liebstrom: Yoohoo!
Dubya: Ha-ha-ha-ha! Professor Liebstrom!
Professor Liebstrom: Yeah. Mr. President... let me try to explain it this way...
As an active AR "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe."
http://www.realca.co.uk/latest_violence.htm
so fuck right off, your ignorance will keep you warm.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
Iraq War Edition
Here's for EVEN MORE wasted karma. You are lamer than balls!
The "Tactical Iraqi" demo videos are delightfully incomprehensible.
Mind the Gap
Yeah, here's for yet another one..
You moderators are gay. LOL!
I thought that's what ICANN was...
It wasn't a sarcastic question when I asked it. It was meant sincerely. I suspected that the hatred shown in the original text sprang from some trauma in your life. I still stick with my original point, that you shouldn't paint all soldiers as uncaring sociopaths simply because something bad happened to you in you past from one or two or ten of them, otherwise the same thinking will lead you to hate other groups of people.
Put identity in the browser.
There is something like this for Spanish called 3DLanguage...Indie studio, no killing, just order up the beer and tapas...