Spun out of University of Southenn Califorina, and formerly known as Tactical Language Training LLC., Alelo began as a collaborative research project between the USC Information Sciences Institute and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), inspired by soldiers returning from Afghanistan in 2002 decsribing the challenges they faced when entering potentially hostile villages unprepared for dealing with the dialects and etiquette specific to the region. With the focus on helping people overcome communication barriers due to language and cultural differences, Alelo Inc develops interactive computer-based products for learning foreign languages and intercultural skills. Tearners practice their communicative skills in simulated conversations with animated characters, using spoken language and patented multimodal communication technologies. Courses are delivered as multi-player games, via the Web, and on mobile devices. It is argued that Alelo's AI avatar-based products have the effect of reducing learning costs while improving effectiveness when compared to some forms of conventional training and education.
