Task-Level Specifications

Badler, Norman I; Phillips, Cary B; Webber, Bonnie Lynn

doi:10.1093/oso/9780195073591.003.0006

Simulating Humans: Computer Graphics, Animation, and Control

Norman I Badler et al.

https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195073591.001.0001

Published online:

12 November 2020

Published in print:

02 September 1993

Online ISBN:

9780197560273

Print ISBN:

9780195073591

- Title Pages
  - Notes
  - Notes
- Preface
  - Notes
  - Notes
1Chapter 1 Introduction and Historical Background
- Notes
- Notes
23Chapter 2 Body Modeling
- Notes
- Notes
67Chapter 3 Spatial Interaction
- Notes
- Notes
101Chapter 4 Behavioral Control
- Notes
- Notes
137Chapter 5 Simulation with Societies of Behaviors
- Notes
- Notes
- 6.1 Performing Simple Commands 6.1 Performing Simple Commands
  - 6.1.1 Task Environment 6.1.1 Task Environment
  - 6.1.2 Linking Language and Motion Generation 6.1.2 Linking Language and Motion Generation
  - 6.1.3 Specifying Goals 6.1.3 Specifying Goals
  - 6.1.5 The Geometric Database 6.1.5 The Geometric Database
  - 6.1.6 Creating an Animation 6.1.6 Creating an Animation
  - 6.1.7 Default Timing Constructs 6.1.7 Default Timing Constructs
- 6.2 Language Terms for Motion and Space 6.2 Language Terms for Motion and Space
  - 6.2.1 Simple Commands 6.2.1 Simple Commands
  - 6.2.2 Representational Formalism 6.2.2 Representational Formalism
    - Geometric relations and geometric constraints Geometric relations and geometric constraints
      - Kinematics Kinematics
      - Kernel actions Kernel actions
    - 6.2.3 Sample Verb and Preposition Specifications 6.2.3 Sample Verb and Preposition Specifications
      - A kinematic verb: roll A kinematic verb: roll
      - A verb that removes constraints: open A verb that removes constraints: open
      - A locative preposition: in A locative preposition: in
      - A path preposition: across A path preposition: across
    - 6.2.4 Processing a sentence 6.2.4 Processing a sentence
    - 6.2.5 Summary 6.2.5 Summary
  - 6.3 Task-Level Simulation 6.3 Task-Level Simulation
    - Fuel Control Valve Removal Instructions: Fuel Control Valve Removal Instructions:
  - 6.3.1 Programming Environment 6.3.1 Programming Environment
  - 6.3.2 Task-actions 6.3.2 Task-actions
  - 6.3.3 Motivating Some Task-Actions 6.3.3 Motivating Some Task-Actions
  - 6.3.4 Domain-specific task-actions 6.3.4 Domain-specific task-actions
  - 6.3.5 Issues 6.3.5 Issues
    - Where Does Task-Action Decomposition Stop? Where Does Task-Action Decomposition Stop?
    - Instruction Translation Instruction Translation
    - Sequencing Sub-tasks Sequencing Sub-tasks
    - Task Duration Task Duration
  - 6.3.6 Summary 6.3.6 Summary
- 6.4 A Model for Instruction Understanding 6.4 A Model for Instruction Understanding
- Notes
- Notes
243Chapter 7 Epilogue
- Notes
- Notes
- Bibliography
  - Notes
  - Notes
- 267Index
  - Notes
  - Notes

Chapter

207Chapter 6 Task-Level Specifications

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https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195073591.003.0006

Pages

207–242

Published:

September 1993

Abstract

So far we have been talking about real-time interactive display and manipulation of human figures, with the goal of enabling human factors engineers to augment their analyses of designed environments by having human figures carry out tasks intended for those environments. This chapter explores the use of task-level specifications as an alternative to direct manipulation for generating task simulations. By now, the reader should be convinced of the value of being able to simulate, observe and evaluate agents carrying out tasks. The question is what is added by being able to produce such simulations from high-level task specifications. The answer is efficient use of the designer's expertise and time. A designer views tasks primarily in terms of what needs to be accomplished, not in terms of moving objects or the agent's articulators in ways that will eventually produce an instance of that behavior - e.g., in terms of slowing down and making a left turn rather than in terms of attaching the agent's right hand to the clutch, moving the clutch forward, reattaching the agent's right hand to the steering wheel, then rotating the wheel to the left and then back an equal distance to the right. As was the case in moving programming from machinecode to high-level programming languages, it can be more efficient to leave it to some computer system to convert a designer's high-level goal-oriented view of a task into the agent behavior needed to accomplish it. Moreover, if that same computer system is flexible enough to produce agent behavior that is appropriate to the agent's size and strength and to the particulars of any given environment that the designer wants to test out, then the designer is freed from all other concerns than those of imagining and specifying the environments and agent characteristics that should be tested. This chapter then will describe a progression of recent collaborative efforts between the University of Pennsylvania's Computer Graphics Research Lab and the LING Lab (Language, INformation and Computation) to move towards true high-level task specifications embodying the communicative richness and efficiency of Natural Language instructions.

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Contents

207Chapter 6 Task-Level Specifications

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