MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109.  TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

IMAGE CAPTION                     Digital Person Face on Computer 
                                  June 13, 2000               

This image shows a computer screen with a person's face that is 
being controlled by a digital, voice-driven, human-image 
animation computer system under development at NASA's Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.  The software uses the 
smallest units of speech, called phonemes, to manipulate facial 
movements.  While development is in the early stages at this 
point, the eventual result will be photo-realistic animation of a 
person speaking. 

The system, called Digital Personnel, will make it possible to 
use an image of any human face and make it appear to be speaking 
naturally.  

Digital Personnel could have numerous applications, including 
Web-based customer support, with user-friendly speaking 
interfaces, video telephones, broadcasting, distance learning, 
video games, and motion pictures.

Graphco Technologies Inc. has acquired the exclusive worldwide 
rights to Digital Personnel, a patent pending technology that 
makes it possible to synthesize photo-realistic talking 
individuals for online commerce and support. The license was 
originally issued by the California Institute of Technology to 
Digital Personnel Inc., a subsidiary of Utek Corp., Plant City, 
Fla. Digital Personnel, Inc., was acquired by Graphco 
Technologies Inc., earlier this year from Utek Corp. and Caltech. 
Graphco Technologies, Inc. develops and markets secure database 
and secure communications systems. 

JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech. 

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