Perceptive Animated Interfaces represent a new generation of human computer interaction, in which people interact with machines much like people interact with each other in specific task domains. These interfaces incorporate virtual humans-lifelike three dimensional animated computer characters that exhibit expert intelligence and behaviors in specific task domains, such as learning and training. Virtual humans orient to the user, provide real time feedback as the user is speaking (e.g., head nods, smiles, puzzled looks), interpret the user's auditory and visual behaviors to infer his or her intentions and cognitive state, and communicate with the user sensitively and effectively to achieve the goals of the task through natural face-to-face dialogues.
The goal of the Workshop on Perceptive Animated Interfaces and Virtual Humans is to bring together interested researchers from scientific disciplines to help conceptualize the challenges involved in developing perceptive animated interfaces incorporating virtual humans, to consider possible research agendas and the steps required to form a community that will work together to stimulate progress toward shared research goals. Participants include scientists from areas of human communication, human interface design, human language technology, computer vision, computer animation, cognitive science and other relevant fields of study. Workshop activities include assessing current theories and practice in relevant disciplines, defining research goals and objectives, evaluating system architectures, identifying task domains for which prototype systems can be developed as test beds for research, and identifying critical infrastructure necessary to conduct proposed work.
The development of perceptive animated interfaces is expected to revolutionize human computer interaction by providing more natural and effective communication experiences, and to improve dramatically opportunities for learning and training, and access to networked information. The workshop report will recommend concrete steps toward research and development of perceptive animated interfaces and virtual humans.
