Maes, Darrell, Blumberg, Pentland

Abstract

The cumbersome nature of wired interfaces and the limited nature of the interaction with graphical objects has so far limited the range of application of virtual environments. We discuss the design and implementation of a novel system, called ALIVE, which allows wireless full-body interaction between a human participant and a rich graphical world inhabited by autonomous agents. Based on results obtained with real users, the paper argues that this kind of system can provide more complex and very different experiences than traditional virtual reality systems. The ALIVE system significantly broadens the range of potential applications of virtual reality systems; in particular the paper discusses novel applications in the area of training and teaching, entertainment and last but not least, digital assistants or interface agents.