Cognitive Computing

Cognitive Computing

Description

Cognitive computing which is at the heart of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been recognized by the IT industry as a natural evolution in the computer science world riding the wave towards smart machines. Recent technological breakthroughs, such as deep learning and artificial neural network, are underpinning this evolution. Cognitive computing is described by the British Computer Society (BCS) as a disruptive technology with machines moving into areas that were the province of the human brain.

In this context, our research is primarily driven by the fundamental question of what makes humans and machines intelligent. Enabling socially intelligent and ethically aware robots and autonomous systems, enabling intelligent user interfaces, brain sciences, as an initial step toward it, we focus on developing a sign language interpreter for the Sinhala language in a classroom with hearing-impaired students. This project is to provide efficient technical assistance for sign language translation for communication with hearing-impaired students in a classroom. This provides deaf students with equal rights to study in a normal classroom environment.

Research Areas

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Natural Language processing
Signal processing
Machine learning
Speech recognition
Machine vision
Human-computer interaction

Research Grants and Projects

Responsive Research Seed Grants, School of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Sri Lanka Technological Campus, Sri Lanka

The Development of Sign Language Interpreter for Sinhala Language in a Classroom with Hearing Impaired Students, Dr. LSK Udugama.

Publications

L.S.K. Udugama and Nalin Wanigasuriya, “Converting Face-to-Face Labs to Homebased Labs: An Approach to Distance Learning for Computer Engineering” International Conference on Open and Innovative Education (ICOIE2019), 10–12 July 2019, Hongkong.
L.S.K. Udugama and Suresha N. Perera, “Converting a Course from Traditional Teaching to Online Learning for a Blended Programme” 9th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF9), 9 – 12 September 2019, Edinburgh. (Accepted)