An Interaction-Activated Communication Support System Using a Virtual Audience with an Estimated Model of Conversational Activity

Abstract

Previously, we developed an embodied virtual communication system (EVCOS) for human interaction analysis by synthesis, and confirmed the importance of embodied sharing in avatar-mediated communication. In this paper, we analyze human interaction and communication in interaction-activated conversation for supporting avatar-mediated communication by using EVCOS, and we propose a model for estimating conversational activity on the basis of this analysis. Further, we develop an interaction-activated communication support system for enhancing embodied interaction and communication by applying the proposed model to a virtual audience comprising interactive CG objects. In this system, the virtual audience generates entrained nodding responses as well as dynamic movements based on the estimated conversational activity during the interaction-activated communication period. The effectiveness of the system is demonstrated by means of sensory evaluations and behavioral analysis of 20 pairs of subjects involved in avatar-mediated communication.