An Embodied Avatar Mediated Communication System with VirtualActor for Human Interaction Analysis

We have developed an embodied avatar mediated communication system by using a human avatar called the 'VirtualActor' and an abstract avatar called the 'VirtualWave' within the same communication space. VirtualActor is a CG character based on a talker's embodied information in the virtual space. The self-referable avatar's motion is consistent with the talker's conscious behavior and unconscious communication rhythms of the body, w hich are measured using sensors. This paper show s the effect of embodied avatar mediated communication for remote talkers in a communication experiment in which the head motion of the listener's VirtualActor is stopped inconsistently. And we propose the concept of the embodied avatar called the 'PuppetAvatar' based on the talker's hand motion and the prototype of the system by using the glove sensor or trackball is developed.