Socially immersive avatar-based communication

In this paper, we present SIAM-C, an avatar-mediated communication platform to study socially immersive interaction in virtual environments. The proposed system is capable of tracking, transmitting, representing body motion, facial expressions, and voice via virtual avatars and inherits the transmission of human behaviors that are available in real-life social interactions. Users are immersed using active stereoscopic rendering projected onto a life-size projection plane, utilizing the concept of “fish tank” virtual reality (VR). Our prototype connects two separate rooms and allows for socially immersive avatar-mediated communication in VR.