SBIR-STTR Award

For this SBIR Applied Media Analysis, Inc. is teamed with researchers at the University of Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo) to address the challenges of Arabic handwriting Optical Character Recognition (AHOCR). The proposed approach leverages our previous experience developing MATES, a Multilingual Automatic Translation Engine for Signs (and documents), supported in part by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). It will significantly extend our Mobile Arabic OCR capability to handle the handwriting. The system will be comprised of software modules including handwritten text extraction, preprocessing, segmentation, classification, post processing and evaluation. In this proposal we will focus on the underlying algorithms, rather then retargetablity, and our strategy will explore probabilistic methods that are independent of the writing style. These probabilistic methods have not previously been applied to Arabic handwriting recognition and advance the frontiers of document analysis in general, in addition to being ideally suited to the domains where the quality of documents is often less than ideal. We will demonstrate technical feasibility by testing the system on several Arabic handwriting collections, previously used in the community.

Keywords:
Arabic Handwriting Ocr, Document Processing, Neural Network, Hmm, Segmentation, Image Enhancement

In the Phase I program, EPIR Technologies successfully developed a technology for the rapid high efficiency neutralization of biological contaminants using a novel photo-triggered release mechanism. The development of polymeric biocide-carrier capabilities with embedded photosensitizers in this Phase I program allowed EPIR to establish improved standards decontamination. Innovative stabilization protocols for the biocide carriers enabled the shelf life of these complexes to be extended greatly. In the proposed Phase II program, EPIR will develop the Phase I “proof of concept” to prototyping, while continuously working towards the advancement of the “on-demand” release mechanism to go beyond the current state of the art decontamination for HVAC systems. To sustain a commercially viable decontamination program, EPIR has already initiated the development of on-site facilities to lower production costs and expand process quality control. EPIR also proposes to investigate innovative design and engineering processes to develop low cost, miniature decontamination systems. Finally, EPIR has developed innovative “smart decontaminats” that will be integrated to the current systems to not only rapidly neutralize but also provide extremely high efficiency decontamination of the air inside buildings and HVAC systems.

Keywords:
PHOTO-TRIGGERED RELEASE, RAPID KINETICS, MULTIFUNCTIONAL OXIDES, HIGH-EFFICIENCY NEUTRALIZATION