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.