Author: SRI International

  • Problem Solving Tactics

    This paper describes the basic strategies of automatic problem solving, and then focuses on a variety of tactics for improving their efficiency.

  • Utterance and Objective: Issues In Natural Language Communication

    This paper evaluates the capabilities of natural language processing systems against requirements and identifies crucial areas for future research in language processing, common-sense reasoning, and their coordination.

  • Computational Models Of Beliefs and The Semantics Of Belief-Sentences

    We present a semantic interpretation for belief sentences and show how this interpretation overcomes some of the difficulties of alternative approaches, especially those based on possible-world semantics.

  • Focusing and Description In Natural Language Dialogues

    This paper describes focusing mechanisms based on domain structure clues which have been included in a computer system and, from this perspective, indicates future research problems entailed in modeling the focusing process more generally.

  • Hierarchical Representation Of Three-Dimensional Objects Using Verbal Models

    We present a formalism for the computer representation of three-dimensional shapes, that has as its goal to facilitate man-machine communication using verbal, graphic, and visual means. With this method, pieces may be assembled hierarchically using any of several ways of specifying attachment.

  • Robotic Sensors in Programmable Automation

    Characterized by flexibility and the ease of setup for new production tasks, programmable automation employs industrial robots. Today’s robots possess “muscles” only; there is a need to develop intelligent robots that can detect faults and correct errors by using sensors and computer control.

  • Map-Guided Interpretation Of Remotely-Sensed Imagery

    Geometric correspondence between a sensed image and a symbolic reference map is established in an initial stage of processing by adjusting parameters of a sensor model so that image features predicted from the map optimally match corresponding features extracted from the sensed image.

  • VALS™ market research

    VALS™ market research

    SRI designed the Values and Lifestyles™ (VALS) program, a novel market research tool for determining the motivations behind consumer purchasing decisions.

  • Why Is Discourse Coherent?

    In this paper, it is argued that coherence can be characterized in terms of a set of ‘coherence relations’ between segments of a discourse. It is shown, from an abstract description of the discourse situation, that these relations correspond to the kinds of communicative work that needs to get done in discourse.

  • Prospects For Industrial Vision

    This paper builds a case for needed additional levels of representation and outlines the design of a general-purpose computer-vision system capable of high performance in a wide variety of industrial vision tasks.

  • Machine Vision and Robotics: Industrial Requirements

    The importance of human vision is a major motivation for the intense interest in and significant research effort devoted to machine vision.

  • Why Ask?

    In this paper, we address the problem, ‘What makes an answer appropriate?’ We do so by investigating indirect answers to questions in task-oriented dialogues.