Enhancing Affective Communication in Embodied Conversational Agents

ISBN: 978-85-7669-245-4International audienceno abstrac

Modèle de communication affective pour agent conversationnel animé, basé sur des facettes de personnalité et des buts de communication "cachés"

Les Agents Conversationnels Animés (ACA) sont des personnages virtuels interactifs et expressifs, dont l'aspect est très souvent humain , exploitant différentes modalités telles que la face, le langage, les gestes, le regard ou encore la prosodie de la voix. Le but est qu'ils s'expriment en langage naturel et puissent dialoguer avec des interlocuteurs humains. Pour développer un ACA, il faut d'abord comprendre que des aspects tels que personnalité, les émotions et leur apparence sont extrêmement importants. Le travail qui est présenté dans cette thèse a pour objectif d'augmenter l'acceptabilité et la crédibilité des agents au moyen de la personnalité, considérée comme une notion centrale à l'interaction ACA-humain. On propose un modèle qui dote l'ACA de facettes de personnalité et de buts de communication cachés et qui module ainsi ses actions conversationnelles. Ce travail présente également une application de jeu de type puzzle , intégrant un ACA doté de facettes de personnalité et de buts cachés , qui a servi de support à plusieurs expérimentations et à l'évaluation du modèle proposé.Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) are intelligent software entities with an embodiment used to communicate with users, using natural language. Their purpose is to exhibit the same properties as humans in face-to-face conversation, including the ability to produce and respond to verbal and nonverbal communication. Researchers in the field of ECAs try to create agents that can be more natural, believable and easy to use. Designing an ECA requires understanding that manner, personality, emotion, and appearance are very important issues to be considered. In this thesis, we are interested in increasing believability of ECAs by placing personality at the heart of the human-agent verbal interaction. We propose a model relating personality facets and hidden communication goals that can influence ECA behaviors. Moreover, we apply our model in agents that interact in a puzzle game application. We develop five distinct personality oriented agents using an expressive communication language and a plan-based BDI approach for modeling and managing dialogue according to our proposed model. In summary, we present and test an innovative approach to model mental aspects of ECAs trying to increase their believability and to enhance human-agent affective communication. With this research, we improve the understanding on how ECAs with expressive and affective characteristics can establish and maintain long-term human-agent relationships.SAVOIE-SCD - Bib.électronique (730659901) / SudocGRENOBLE1/INP-Bib.électronique (384210012) / SudocGRENOBLE2/3-Bib.électronique (384219901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Enhancing Affective Communication in Embodied Conversational Agents

Abstract. In this article, we present current work being developed in collaboration between UFRGS (Brazil) and LIG laboratory (France) inserted in the scope of PRAIA Project -international project of cooperation between UFRGS and LIG. We first motivate the use of Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) by showing and contextualizing research, in order to establish a foundation for understanding how these agents may be useful in human-computer interaction. We then give more details about the agent, its purpose and scenario, together with important characteristics of its development. Finally we conclude with more information about the cooperation and also demonstrating the importance of the research in this field

Sex chromosome system ZZ/ZW in Apareiodon hasemani Eigenmann, 1916 (Characiformes, Parodontidae) and a derived chromosomal region

Parodontidae fish show few morphological characteristics for the identification of their representatives and chromosomal analyses have provided reliable features for determining the interrelationships in this family. In this study, the chromosomes of Apareiodon hasemani from the São Francisco River basin, Brazil, were analyzed and showed a karyotype with 2n = 54 meta/submetacentric chromosomes, and a ZZ/ZW sex chromosome system. The study revealed active NORs located on pair 11 and additional 18S rDNA sites on pairs 7 and 22. The 5S rDNA locus was found in pair 14. It showed a pericentric inversion regarding the ancestral condition. The satellite DNA pPh2004 was absent in the chromosomes of A. hasemani, a shared condition with most members of Apareiodon. The WAp probe was able to detect the amplification region of the W chromosome, corroborating the common origin of the system within Parodontidae. These chromosomal data corroborate an origin for the ZW system of Parodontidae and aid in the understanding of the differentiation of sex chromosome systems in Neotropical fishes

First karyotype description of Hypostomus iheringii (Regan, 1908): a case of heterochromatic polymorphism

Volume: 6Start Page: 115End Page: 12