A Treecat Vocal Comm

Given the increasing role Treecats are going to play in human affairs, I was thinking about how this transition could be made easier and I had a thought; a kind of translator for their sign language.

Contrary to the title I was actually thinking of a device that might make Treecat communication a bit easier without everyone needing the learn sign language for themselves. Something along the lines to how a paralyzed person hooked up to speech generating device can use various eye movements to spell out words.

I was envisioning something like a pair of gloves worn on the true hands, fitted with nerve impulse detectors and spacial reference sensors to detect finger and palm movements and gestures. The gloves contain a translation matrix and a miniature speaker. As the cat moves its hands to form words the translator interprets the gestures, forms up the words, then vocalizes the sounds. An on/off switch would be used for when they want to move the hands normally without creating a random gibberish.

Given the technological leaps in the real world let alone the Honorverse (think on the semi-AI and visual manipulators used to mimic people on Comm screens in Echos of Honor) this doesn't seem too hard a development. Of course since Treecats use a lot of ear, whisker, and tail movements as well (though more for inflection than words) then that might also be incorporated given enough time and investigation.

What does anyone else think?

They actually exist today.

But not in a few thousand years....

This came up in another thread. I introduced exhibit A. Amy, the talking gorilla in the movie Congo. I love that movie. Amy uses sign language that is interpreted by motion sensing computer technology on her arms, etc. Cool movie and premise.

http://youtu.be/GxhXJGA32YI

The movie may have got its inspiration from a real talking gorilla ... Koko ... who mourned the loss of Robin Williams.
http://youtu.be/uhGgu1RNALQ

Hanabiko "Koko" is a female western lowland gorilla who, according to Francine "Penny" Patterson, her long-term trainer, is able to understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and ... Wikipedia

The 1978 Documentary, 80:47
http://youtu.be/0NwCrXVUm_Q

Valen123456 wrote:Given the increasing role Treecats are going to play in human affairs, I was thinking about how this transition could be made easier and I had a thought; a kind of translator for their sign language.

The next progression in Treecat communications is reading and writing -- and adapting (existing) text-to-speech software to give them a speaking voice.

Weird Harold wrote:

Valen123456 wrote:Given the increasing role Treecats are going to play in human affairs, I was thinking about how this transition could be made easier and I had a thought; a kind of translator for their sign language.

The next progression in Treecat communications is reading and writing -- and adapting (existing) text-to-speech software to give them a speaking voice.

They could do that now. Treecats can read and understand English (assuming that is the most commonly used language in the Honorverse), so why can't they use something like an I-pad or tablet with a keyboard and pre-programmed responses for many basic commands and phrases/words used? Would it be that hard to teach them that?

Zakharra wrote: They could do that now. Treecats can read and understand English (assuming that is the most commonly used language in the Honorverse), so why can't they use something like an I-pad or tablet with a keyboard and pre-programmed responses for many basic commands and phrases/words used? Would it be that hard to teach them that?

Actually, they generally didn't as of Honor Among Enemies. Nimitz didn't know how to read the numbers on the lift, bit he had memorised which buttons to hit in order to take him to specific decks (such as the Horticultural deck where he and Samantha liked to snuggle).

Treecats think differently to humans. While they can innovate to solve a problem, they tend to apply the resulting innovation only to that problem rather than experimenting to see if it helps with any other issue. While this is subject to change (Nimitz and Samantha's kids being raised amongst humans), Treecats are still rather limited from a mental flexability viewpoint.

Besides, why should they try to innovate when they can simply try to copy humans?

I don't know guys. What you are proposing just seems like a waste of what the treecats have already learned - sign language. I think the proposal of utilizing a system similar to the gorilla in Congo has much more merit. It seems more practical to me. Getting information into a treecat via reading, sounds practical, if possible. However, getting info out of them via writing then translating that writing, sounds much more inefficient, slow and cumbersome, compared to technology translating their already existing and much faster than the written word - sign language. Someone communicating via sign language wouldn't naturally want to pick up a stylus to communicate when sign language is literally there at their fingertips. That would be taking a step backwards. Why teach a human to sign in the first place if you are going to revert back to writing.

Of course, the path to commucication is different. Human and treecat. But now that you've taught a treecat to sign - and it has permeated throughout all the cats. Why discard it? And treecats are not going to be able to carry ipads/stylus while sitting atop a person's head. And a person isn't going to want a mobile office atop his head. Albeit, a treecat actually sits atop his person's shoulder, but following the natural progression of life, it won't be long before he'll be utilizing the wasted space atop his person's head as a coffee table for his remote/stylus/ipad.



Also, we have to consider the treecat on a more personal level. Treecats are going to want as less invasion into their space as possible. After all, they are still treecats. Let's close the communication gap as less invasively and with as less hindrance to the cat as possible.

Scenario. A human has a laptop on his lap while working. Suddenly, a serious threat appears. A deadly cobra at one's feet. Where will the laptop, or an ipad end up? Who knows?! Mode of attack prevents pretty. Form follows function. It's the same as what happens when a youngster has to be taught not to swing his back out of his hands after a hit. The youngster goes into attack mode, attacking first base. His bat goes into attack mode against someone's head. "Hey, I told you. Not to throw that bat!"

Now imagine a treecat, with an ipad always in his hand.

The treecat senses danger.

The snarl of a battle cry is uttered.

A flying ipad reflexively ensues and two kills. The treecat's, and the flying ipad's.

Edit:
I suppose more articulate, precise communication could be obtained with the written word. Though still not everyday, all day practical.

cthia wrote:I suppose more articulate, precise communication could be obtained with the written word. Though still not everyday, all day practical.

I like something I heard last week from an ESL instructor is Italy. She was teaching a cardiologist in Rome and he complained about English: "I hate English. In Italian I can talk for three hours without saying anything. But in English you can't, it's too direct." Any form of communication for treecats is going to be the reverse, as their native mode is so damn direct.

Perhaps treecats might learn keyboarding, but what if the keyboard is a thing of the ancient past. Our author is already doing most of his writing with voice activated software he still needs the key board for corrections, however given two millennia I'd be surprised if the software was not improved

Poker

pokermind wrote:but what if the keyboard is a thing of the ancient past.

From the scenes with Honor and various other commanders dealing with daily reports, it doesn't seem that Voice Recognition software is the default method of annotating reports.