Where Robots Where Robots and Virtual and Virtual

Agents MeetAgents Meet

A Survey of Social Interaction Research across Milgram’s Reality-

Virtuality ContinuumThomas Holz · Mauro Dragone · G.M.P. O’Hare

Reported by :Maria Asumpta Marasigan

2006-20865

ROBOTROBOT

A mechanical device that sometimes A mechanical device that sometimes resembles a human and is capable of resembles a human and is capable of performing a variety of often complex performing a variety of often complex human tasks on command or by being human tasks on command or by being programmed in advanceprogrammed in advance

Robots can be similar in form to a Robots can be similar in form to a human, but industrial robots do not human, but industrial robots do not resemble people at allresemble people at all

ROBOT (cont..)ROBOT (cont..)

Huey, Dewey, and Louie

ASIMO

VIRTUAL AGENTSVIRTUAL AGENTS

autonomous, graphically embodied agents in a virtual environment that are able to interact intelligently with human users, other IVAs, and their environment

virtual agents act in a dynamic, unpredictable, interactive world

VIRTUAL AGENTS VIRTUAL AGENTS (cont..)(cont..)

ADELE

STEVE

SOCIAL INTERACTION SOCIAL INTERACTION with Robotic and Virtual with Robotic and Virtual

AgentsAgents

Robots must exhibit social interaction skills

Humanlike virtual characters (virtual humans) are being used with success as virtual representatives of human users in virtual conference applications

Human treats virtual characters as social partners

DIFFERENCE betweenDIFFERENCE betweenPhysical and Virtual Physical and Virtual

AgentsAgents

ROBOTS

• Physical presence and their ability to interact to the physical world and the human

• Physical nature evokes a higher sense of presence in the user making them more trustworthy and engaging

VIRTUAL AGENTS

• Constrained in their interaction capabilities with the physical world

• Require the user to initiate the action and approach the agent

• visible only from a limited angle and cannot effectively point (or gaze) in the 3D physical surrounding

DIFFERENCE betweenDIFFERENCE betweenPhysical and Virtual Physical and Virtual

Agents (cont..)Agents (cont..)

ROBOTS

• Free to move within physical environment

• Expressional capabilities still remain restricted

VIRTUAL AGENTS

• Capable of actions that are simply impossible in the real world, such asmutating their form

• Exhibit a high degreeof anthropomorphism

Mori’s Uncanny Valley

AGENTS embodied in AGENTS embodied in UBIQUITOUS UBIQUITOUS

ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT

Ubiquitous Robotic Companion - guards its owner’s home, cleans their rooms and reads to their kids

AGENTS embodied in AGENTS embodied in UBIQUITOUS UBIQUITOUS

ENVIRONMENT (cont..)ENVIRONMENT (cont..)

NEC’s robot PaPeRo (Partner-Type Personal Robot) – communicate not only with other PaPeRos, but also with PCs, PDAs, and with other electrical appliances in the home

- can check the user’s e-mail or tune the TV onto the user’s favorite channel

AGENTS embodied in AGENTS embodied in UBIQUITOUS UBIQUITOUS

ENVIRONMENT (cont..)ENVIRONMENT (cont..)

ICat - ICat - a research prototype of an emotionally intelligent robot that provides an easy to use and enjoyable interaction style for ubiquitous environments

AGENTS in MIXED AGENTS in MIXED REALITY REALITY

ENVIRONMENTSENVIRONMENTS U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi

Virtual Humanoid –

maps a humanoid avatar onto a robot’s anatomically correct, green-cloth surface

AGENTS in MIXED AGENTS in MIXED REALITY REALITY

ENVIRONMENTS (cont..)ENVIRONMENTS (cont..)MiRA (Mixed Reality Agents) system is the first example to combine a MR character with a physical robot platform to provide an expressive social interface.