Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo, Japan
In recent years, great progress has been made in the field of artificial intelligence, and human-like conversations with machines come possible. As for speech synthesis, it can generate highly-natural speech in anyone’s voice, if his/her original voice is available. Synthetic speech is now widely used to make video programs. However, if we go back 20 years, synthetic speech sounded machine-like and researchers were worried: “How can we generate human-like speech?” In my talk, I will first review the history of speech synthesis, starting with Voder in 1939. Although high-quality speech synthesis is achieved, researchers point out problems when “free-style” speech is targeted. Humans produce various types of speech for the same linguistic content depending on the “situation.” This variation is mostly related to prosodic features of speech. Basically, prosodic features do not play a role in conveying linguistic meaning, but they do play an important role in conveying attitude, emotion, and speaker identity. Proper control of prosodic features is important to realize variable styles in speech synthesis. In the talk, I will introduce a model for fundamental frequency contours (F0 model), and show how it realizes “flexible control” in speech synthesis, taking focus control as an example.
Keikichi Hirose received the Ph. D. degree in electronic engineering in 1977 from the University of Tokyo. He was a professor of the University of Tokyo from 1994. He retired in 2015, and received Professor of Emeritus title. From March 1987 to January 1988, he was Visiting Scientist at the Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, U.S.A. He served as a project professor at National Institute of Informatics during June 2019 - March 2023. He has been engaged in a wide range of research on spoken language processing, including analysis, synthesis, recognition, dialogue systems, and computer-assisted language learning. From 2000 to 2004, he was Principal Investigator of the national project “Realization of advanced spoken language information processing utilizing prosodic features.” He served as the general chair for INTERSPEECH 2010, Makuhari, Japan. Since 2010, he served as the Chair of ISCA SProSIG until 2018. Also, he served as a board member of ISCA during 2009-2017. He is a member of International Advisory Council from January 2021 (to 2024). He received ISCA fellow grade in 2018. He became an honorary member, Polish Phonetic Association, in 2013. For his long-term and remarkable contribution to spoken language processing, he received Achievement Award from Acoustical Society of Japan in 2020. In 2015, he was honored as a Named Person of Merit in Science and Technology by the Mayor of Tokyo.
Distinguished Professor, Brac University Bangladesh
This talk is based on my personal experience in collaborating with CSE students of BUET. This has been so inspiring for me to see that our young students, starting with freshmen, are so capable of doing research and publish in international journals of repute. Young people have infinite energy- too much to be exhausted by carrying out routine tasks. Many scientists have proved their research skill in early years. I have a feeling that if inspired they can produce miracles. This will not only strengthen research activities of our universities, students having credentials enriched with research in undergraduate years will create opportunity for higher studies in reputed universities.
Dr Mohammad Kaykobad, born on 1 May, 1954 at Jabra, Manikganj. He received M.S.(Hons.) in Engineering from OMEI, now Odessa State Maritime University, in 1979. In 1982 he received an M.Eng. Degree from AIT, Thailand, and Ph.D from the Flinders University of South Australia in 1988. Dr Kaykobad is a Fellow of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences(BAS), and was an Associate Secretary of its Executive Council. Dr Kaykobad was a Professor at CSE Department, BUET since 1997, and served as its Head during 1996-1999. Since 2020 after retirement from BUET Dr Kaykoabd is a Distinguished Professor of CSE department, Brac University. He published over 40 research papers in Physical Review, International Journals of Computer Mathematics, Computers & Operations Research, Computers & Mathematics with Applications, Linear Algebra & Its Applications, Information Processing Letters, Information Processing and Management, Applied Mathematics E-Notes, Journal of Computing and Information Technology, Electronic Notes in Discrete Mathematics, Journal of International Olympiad in Informatics and Computers & Graphics. He authored, coauthored or edited 13 books. Many of these books are for inspiring young students develop either programming or mathematics skill or for developing patriotism. He is a guest co-editor of the proceedings of International Conference on Computer and Information Technology (ICCIT 2009) published by Academy Publisher. Dr Kaykobad was the Organizing Chair of the first ever international computer conference ICCIT held in the soil of Bangladesh. He is also the Chair of the Steering Committee for Workshop on Algorithms (WALCOM) proceedings of which are published as Lecture Notes in Computer Science by Springer. He has guided more than a dozen undergraduate students whose research works were published in journals of international repute. Dr. Kaykobad participated as a Resource Person in Workshop on Science Communication sponsored by COSTED and UNESCO held at Goa during 18-23 November, 2001. He is a frequent column writer in National Dailies authoring over 300 articles, most of which are related to education of the country. He has been one of the pioneers in introducing Mathematics Olympiad, Olympiad in Informatics and Science Olympiad in Bangladesh. He has been leading Bangladesh IOI team since 2008 from which Bangladesh received a silver medal in 2008 from Bulgaria, 2 bronze medals in 2012 from Italy and one from Australia. He was director of ICPC Asia Region Dhaka site during 2001-2003. He was the Chief Judge of IIT Kanpur Asia Region Site of ICPC in 2010, 2011 and 2013. He was adjudged as the outstanding coach of ICPC in 2002 at Honolulu, Hawaii. He was the only Senior Coach award recipient at the World Finals of ICPC held at St. Petersburg, Russia in 2013. He was awarded ICPC Lifetime Foundation Coach Award in 2019 at Porto, Portugal. He was also awarded a gold medal by Bangladesh Physics Olympiad. Dr Kaykobad participated in the famous Heidelberg Laureate Forum in 2013. Dr Kaykobad was a Visiting Professor at the CSE Department, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, at Kyung Hee University, Korea, ANU and Monash University, Australia and Amritapuri University, India. In year 2005 the President of the country presented him with a Gold Medal awarded by Bangladesh Computer Society for his contribution to computer programming culture in the country. In year 2006 He won BAS Gold Medal for physical sciences in the senior group which was awarded by the Prime Minister of the country. Dr Kaykobad is a member of the Executive Council of Bangla Academy. Dr Kaykobad has been playing active role in the computerization of both public and private enterprises. He worked as a Director of Dhaka and Chittagong Stock Exchanges for many years. Currently he is an independent director of Sonali Bank PLC. Dr Kaykobad is a member of Academic Council and Syndicate of several universities, and Selection Board Member of SAU, New Deli, India.
Coordinator of the ICTP EAU Affiliated Centre in UKM, Malaysia
The presentation explores the development and application of capacitive electromyography (cEMG) biosensors, a non-invasive, contactless solution for monitoring muscle activity. With applications in healthcare, rehabilitation, sports science, and human-computer interfaces, cEMG biosensors offer significant advancements over traditional needle and wet electrodes by addressing limitations like invasiveness, skin preparation, and motion artifacts. Highlighting innovative design elements, such as polyimide insulation and optimized skin-electrode capacitance, the study demonstrates low noise floors and high signal accuracy. These advancements position cEMG biosensors as a pivotal technology for wearable sensing, enabling efficient and long-term monitoring solutions across various fields.
Mamun Bin Ibne Reaz, PhD ’07, is the Dean of the School of Engineering, Technology and Sciences at the Independent University, Bangladesh and Professor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Previously, he was a Professor at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia. His scientific specialisation is in the areas of IC Design, Biomedical application IC, Biomedical sensors and Smart Home. Mamun Bin Ibne Reaz has published more than 400 scientific articles and is a recipient of more than 70 research grants. His Google citation is over 15,000. Since 2020, he is listed amongst the world's top 2% scientists by Stanford University Data for "Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators". He was a Senior Associate of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy since 2008, and presently, Coordinator of the ICTP EAU Affiliated Centre in UKM, Malaysia. Mamun Bin Ibne Reaz has an undergraduate and graduate degree in Applied Physics and Electronics from University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and a doctoral degree in VLSI Design from the Ibaraki University, Japan.
Professor, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
System on Chip (SoC) technology represents a significant shift in modern electronics, integrating multiple computing components such as processors, memory, and I/O interfaces onto a single chip. This presentation explores the structure, types, and advantages of SoC, with a special focus on Programmable SoC (PSoC)—a variant incorporating Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) for enhanced flexibility and performance. The presentation begins with an introduction to SoC, explaining its role in compact and efficient system designs. It then categorizes different types of SoCs, including general-purpose SoCs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and programmable SoCs. A detailed comparison highlights the benefits of PSoC over traditional microprocessors and microcontrollers, emphasizing real-time processing, low power consumption, and adaptability. Key applications of PSoC with FPGA are examined, spanning automotive (ADAS, autonomous navigation), healthcare (portable EKGs, medical imaging, neuroprosthetics), and telecommunications (5G infrastructure, network security, and edge computing). Practical comparisons demonstrate how PSoC-based systems outperform microprocessor-driven solutions in real-time response, parallel processing, and power efficiency. A dedicated analysis of PSoC in neuroprosthetics showcases its ability to process neural signals with minimal latency, enabling advanced prosthetic control superior to conventional microprocessor setups. A comparative table further breaks down the advantages and disadvantages of PSoC vs. microprocessors across multiple technical aspects. The presentation concludes by discussing the future of SoC and PSoC technologies, highlighting their growing impact across industries. As programmability, efficiency, and integration continue to shape the next generation of computing, PSoCs are positioned as a key enabler of high-performance, adaptive, and power-efficient systems in cutting-edge applications.
Sawal Hamid Md Ali is a Professor of Embedded System Design at the Department of Electrical, Electronics and System Engineering, University Kebangsaan Malaysia. He received bachelor degree in Electronic and Computer Engineering from University Putra Malaysia in the year 1998, Master degree in Microelectronic System Design from the University of Southampton in the year 2004 and Ph.D degree in electrical and electronics from University of Southampton, United Kingdom in the year 2010. Dr. Sawal’s work on VLSI, System on Chip and Embedded system has been published in several high quality conference proceedings and journals. He has authored and co-authored more than 200 publications and till this date has been granted four patents on technology related to embedded system and microelectronic circuitry. His interdisciplinary work involves several fields including Analog and Mixed Signal Systems, System on Chip design, circuit optimization, wearable system and embedded system. He is currently the Deputy Director for the Centre of Innovation and Technology Transfer, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
