We present here our areas of expertise, broken into three broad categories. Of course, there is some natural overlap, but it should serve as a good starting point to understanding what we do.

We are always realistic about what current technology offers the end-user. There are many grand claims and exciting buzzwords and phrases, but often an end product can be disappointing.

At BM, we will ensure that the right technology is employed in the right way to maximise the chances that your product or service meets or exceeds the expectations of your target user.

AI

Intelligent Agents

• Affective models: Particularly valuable in entertainment and education applications, an affective (emotional) model allows an agent to respond appropriately to complex social situations. We can give your system real emotional punch.
• Strategic reasoning: Autonomous agents must be able to reason strategically, in order to achieve their goals, given their resources and constraints. We can build agents that are smart enough to do what you need them to do. 

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

• Natural language understanding: For a natural language interface to work, the system must, of course, be able to parse and understand natural language. We can help your system understand what your customer is saying.
• Natural language generation: 'Canned' chunks of language are not always sufficient for a natural language interface - sometimes it is necessary to generate natural language on the fly, from scratch. We can give your system the gift of the gab.
• Dialogue: Most real applications will involve a conversation of more than a sentence or two, so it becomes necessary to have a dialogue engine, to keep track of where the conversation has been, and where it is going. We can make your system conversationally adept.
• Speech synthesis and understanding: If keyboards are cumbersome or unavailable, the system should be able to understand human speech, and generate speech of a quality high enough to be understood. We can make your system a real chatterbox.

Machine Learning

• Neural networks: Neural networks, computer programs inspired by the architecture of the human brain, are particularly good at pattern recognition and categorization tasks. Your system can learn.
• Evolutionary computing: Much as neural networks are inspired by the brain, evolutionary algorithms are inspired by evolution. They are very effective if we can describe what we need (i.e. a measure of fitness), but do not know how to get there. Your system can evolve.

Education

• Educational chatbots: Practice, practice, practice. In many educational domains, particularly language learning, practice is the key to success. Our chatbots (programs that can engage in conversation) allow a learner to interact with an agent who knows what they need to learn, and helps them learn it.
  In addition, the chatbot provides a non-judgemental, no-pressure environment in which students can make mistakes and move at their own pace without fear of ridicule or peer pressure.

Humour

• Humor generation: Sometimes a bit of humor can make all the difference between a successful conversation and a frustrating one. Our tools can generate humor from scratch, and/or select from a database of pre-generated humor, and insert it into conversation in a natural, appropriate manner. Humor can go a long way to making a system seem intelligent - no matter how dumb the jokes!

Usability

• Usability design and testing: We can ensure that your system behaves the way it was meant to, in the real world, with real users, on real devices. 

User Modelling

• Building and using user models: As users interact with your system, they are providing valuable information about who they are and what they want. We know how to get this information, and use it effectively.
• Privacy: Users are understandably nervous about giving you information, unless they can be sure that it will be kept confidential. We can help you give them that confidence.

Interface Agents

• Intelligence in the interface: This is where our expertise in AI and HCI meets. Intelligent, affective, humorous, conversational agents can help users get what they want, in a satisfying, entertaining manner.
• Social networks: The bigger picture is that technology brings together a large number of autonomous agents - some human, some artificial - each with their own goals, resources and constraints. We can help set up the markets and communities that let these individuals get what they want. 

Mobile Interfaces

• Optimization for mobile devices: Your website is already visible on mobile devices - but unless it has been optimized for the mobile Internet, it probably looks terrible. We can make sure that your site looks good and functions properly on current and near-future mobile devices.

Mobile Applications

• Games: Some games are particularly suitable for mobile devices and the functionality (Bluetooth, IR, cameras, etc.) associated with them. If you have the concept, we can make it work. 
• Porting applications: Do you think your application would be particularly valuable to mobile users? We can help you evaluate its potential, make design changes, and implement it on its target platform(s). 

Mobile Business

• History and trends: We have been part of the mobile revolution since it began, and we can help you understand where it has been and where it is going.  
• Business models: With our experience in Japan, we are aware of various business models that may be employed when delivering content and service to mobile devices. We have seen some succeed and some fail. Our experience can help you minimize risk while maximizing return and customer satisfaction.