Friendly Interfaces Between Humans and Machines

Book excerpt: This book discusses human–machine interactions, specifically focusing on making them as natural as human–human interaction. It is based on the premise that to get the right connect between human and machines, it is essential to understand not only the behavior of the person interacting with the machine, but also the limitations of the technology. Firstly, the authors review the evolution of language as a spontaneous, natural phenomenon in the overall scheme of the evolutionary development of living beings. They then go on to examine the possible approaches to understanding and representing the meaning and the common aspects of human–human and human–machine interactions, and introduce the keyconcept-keyword (also called minimal parsing) approach as a convenient and realistic way to implement usable human–machine interface (HMI) systems. For researchers looking for practical approaches, way beyond the realms of theory, this book is a must read.