An empirical framework for human-robot proxemics

The work described in this paper was conducted within the EU Integrated Projects COGNIRON ("The Cognitive Robot Companion") and LIREC (LIving with Robots and intEractive Companions) and was funded by the European Commission under contract numbers FP6- 002020 and FP7-215554.An empirical framework for Human-Robot (HR) proxemics is proposed which shows how the measurement and control of interpersonal distances between a human and a robot can be potentially used by the robot to interpret, predict and manipulate proxemic behaviour for Human-Robot Interactions (HRIs). The proxemic framework provides for incorporation of inter-factor effects, and can be extended to incorporate new factors, updated values and results. The framework is critically discussed and future work proposed

Peer Buddy or Expert? – On the Avatar Design of a Virtual Coach for Obesity Patients

Morbid obesity in association with comorbidities is a considerable burden for the healthcare systems worldwide. Long-term weight loss maintenance requires sustainable behavioral changes but poor adherence is a significant problem in obesity care today and patients often relapse. Prior research has found conversational agents with of a humanoid representation (avatar) embodying the role of a virtual coach useful for the interface of health behavior change support systems. Regarding the avatar design, the coach could, e.g., take the role of an obese “peer buddy” or a lean “expert”. Based on requirements and design principles derived from the literature, the present study investigates how the avatar should be designed. Therefore, two patient surveys were conducted to evaluate static and dynamic representations of potential coaches. The results suggest that patients welcome the concept and lean “expert” coaches might be more suitable in an obesity context. Design implications for future research are derived and discussed

Familiarity and Overcoming of Uncanny Valley towards Computer-Generated Imagery Characters in Malaysian Film

Recently, the idea of the uncanny valley has drawn interest in robotics and other scientific circles and popular culture. Several scholars have discussed its implications and reactions towards human-like robots. However, only several previous studies examined overcoming the uncanny valley for realistic looking computer-generated actors in films and animation. This seeks to examine the familiarity of participants with the use of digital characters as actors. This paper explains how computer-generated imagery (CGI) was used to create actors in Malaysian films, the uncanny valley characteristics that may affect the audience’s attention. The researcher has chosen visual stimuli consisting of 1 genuine human character and 1 less humanlike subject. A self-administered survey (n = 127) with sample film footage and photos were delivered online via email and social networks to responders. Surprisingly, based on the data, the human resemblance of the humanlike characters was substantially higher than expected. This research concluded that the artificial CGI characters had higher perceived eeriness if the character was highly familiar to the audience. As a result, the digital actor’s replacement an impression of eeriness and disbelief, which confirms the uncanny valley theory

The uncanny valley of a virtual animal.

Virtual robots, including virtual animals, are expected to play a major role within affective and aesthetic interfaces, serious games, video instruction, and the personalization of educational instruction. Their actual impact, however, will very much depend on user perception of virtual characters as the uncanny valley hypothesis has shown that the design of virtual characters determines user experiences. In this article, we investigated whether the uncanny valley effect, which has already been found for the human-like appearance of virtual characters, can also be found for animal-like appearances. We conducted an online study (N = 163) in which six different animal designs were evaluated in terms of the following properties: familiarity, commonality, naturalness, attractiveness, interestingness, and animateness. The study participants differed in age (under 10–60 years) and origin (Europe, Asia, North America, and South America). For the evaluation of the results, we ranked the animal-likeness of the character using both expert opinion and participant judgments. Next to that, we investigated the effect of movement and morbidity. The results confirm the existence of the uncanny valley effect for virtual animals, especially with respect to familiarity and commonality, for both still and moving images. The effect was particularly pronounced for morbid images. For naturalness and attractiveness, the effect was only present in the expert-based ranking, but not in the participant-based ranking. No uncanny valley effect was detected for interestingness and animateness. This investigation revealed that the appearance of virtual animals directly affects user perception and thus, presumably, impacts user experience when used in applied settings

Eight issues to consider when developing animated videos for the assessment of complex constructs

As part of the growing interest in the measurement of complex constructs in recent years, a body of research examining the extent to which videos are a useful alternative to written text in tests and assessments has emerged. Early attempts to replace written text with videos featured actors, but lately, animated videos have become more popular. However, the few studies that have examined the use of videos (animated or acted) in assessment have focused purely on reporting the results of these endeavors, with little to no information provided about the process of transforming a test from text to video format. With this in mind, the aim of this paper is to outline the key issues that need to be considered when developing animated videos in an assessment context. Various decisions that need to be made are discussed and suggestions for overcoming challenges that may be encountered are offered. These considerations are intended to help anyone interested in the use of animated videos to enhance the validity of decisions made on the basis of assessments, including, but not limited to, educators, certification and licensure test developers, and those involved in personnel selection

The Uncanny Valley and the Verisimilitude of Sexual Offenders--Part I: An Ethorobotic Perspective

This Article is the first in a series of three articles in which I explain the cycle of misperception of sexual offenders that has encouraged the unconstitutional application of sexual offender laws, including civil commitment laws, in a false effort to quell public fear, protect children, and reduce sexual victimization. In this first Article of the series, I propose that this cycle of misperception and the resistance to the release of civilly committed sexual offenders may be, in part, the product of a novel phenomenon known as the “uncanny valley” effect

Kesan tahap realistik karakter animasi talking-head ke atas emosi dan prestasi pelajar : satu kajian awal

Animasi talking-head merupakan animasi arahan yang mampu membantu pembelajaran kemahiran sebutan sesuatu perkataan secara betul dan tepat. Namun, kesilapan dalam penggunaan karakter animasi memberi kesan negatif kepada pelajar. Kajian ini memfokus kepada isu Uncanny Valley yang dapat memberi kesan kepada emosi pelajar akibat daripada karakter animasi yang hampir menyerupai manusia. Justeru, kajian ini menilai penggunaan animasi talking-head yang berbeza tahap realistik terhadap pembelajaran sebutan perkataan di Kolej Komuniti. Penilaian keberkesanan animasi ini diukur melalui ujian sebutan dan ujian emosi mengguna soal selidik AEQ. Empat perisian animasi talking-head dengan tahap realistik berbeza dibangun untuk diuji dan setiap perisian tersebut dipelajari secara kendiri oleh sekumpulan pelajar yang terdiri daripada 20 orang. Jumlah keseluruhan sampel ialah 80 orang terdiri daripada pelajar di empat buah kolej komuniti di Perak. Ujian statistik deskriptif seperti nilai min, sisihan piawai dan peratus diguna bagi menjawab persoalan kajian. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan perisian animasi talking-headtiga dimensi tidak realistik (3D-TR) memperoleh peratusan tertinggi dari sudut emosi dan prestasi sebutan pelajar manakala perisian animasi talking-head tiga dimensi realistik (3D-R) memperoleh peratusan terendah dari kedua-dua aspek tersebut. Justeru, penggunaan karakter animasi tiga dimensi talking-head yang tidak realistik merupakan tahap realistik yang terbaik untuk membentuk emosi yang positif seterusnya berpotensi meningkat prestasi pelajar

Can gender categorization influence the perception of animated virtual humans?

Animations have become increasingly realistic with the evolution of Computer Graphics (CG). In particular, human models and behaviors were represented through animated virtual humans, sometimes with a high level of realism. In particular, gender is a characteristic that is related to human identification, so that virtual humans assigned to a specific gender have, in general, stereotyped representations through movements, clothes, hair and colors, in order to be understood by users as desired by designers. An important area of study is finding out whether participants' perceptions change depending on how a virtual human is visually presented. Findings in this area can help the industry to guide the modeling and animation of virtual humans to deliver the expected impact to the audience. In this paper, we reproduce, through CG, a perceptual study that aims to assess gender bias in relation to a simulated baby. In the original study, two groups of people watched the same video of a baby reacting to the same stimuli, but one group was told the baby was female and the other group was told the same baby was male, producing different perceptions. The results of our study with virtual babies were similar to the findings with real babies. First, it shows that people's emotional response change depending on the character gender attribute, in this case the only difference was the baby's name. Our research indicates that by just informing the name of a virtual human can be enough to create a gender perception that impact the participant emotional answer.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, 2 table