A Virtual Interface Agent und its Agency
Proceedings of the First International Conference on Autonomous Agents, page 516-517. (1997)Abstract
In the VIENA Project ("Virtual Environments and Agents") we develop easy-to-use virtual environments for interactive design and exploration. We have modeled and implemented a synthetic human-like agent, Hamilton, that inhabits a simulated office environment and acts as an embodied virtual interface agent (VIA). To explore or change the simulated environment, people can instruct Hamilton by way of verbal input and simple hand gestures. Hamilton has a variety of functionalities which are put in effect by its agency, a multi-agent system. In mediating an instruction, invisible agents track exact object locations and colorings, and they negotiate alternative ways of acting. Hamilton\u0027s agency is also able to adapt to individual users\u0027 preferences during run time. As the VIA is present in the synthetic scene, users can take advantage of its anthropomorphic features, and they can choose to communicate with the agent from an external or an immersed view.
