Semi-automated digital puppetry control

摘要

A low-cost, low-demand (physical and cognitive) interface for puppeteers that allows them to easily participate in the control of verbal and non-verbal activities of a set of virtual characters or avatars. The invention further provides a low-cost, unencumbered interface for participants that allows them to employ both natural movement and also verbal and non-verbal interaction with virtual characters. A network protocol supports real-time remote interaction even when dealing with relatively poor network connections; and an integrated after-action review system supports trainers in the processes of tagging and commenting on events, subsequently using these to assist reflection on the part of participants.

主权项

1. A system for avatar display and interaction using a gesture-based paradigm, comprising:
a downloadable or web-accessible software application executable on an electronic computing device; an electronic visual display, a set of physical manifestations, or a combination thereof that outputs audio and video of digital characters or avatars; a storage module for receiving and storing a basis set of poses in the form of an array of microposes on said downloadable or web-accessible software application, said array of microposes being unique to a specific avatar, said array of microposes being end positions of said avatar without transitions between each of said array of microposes; a pose indicator having a spatial or device position that corresponds to said each micropose; and an access module that accesses said stored array of microposes, such that a first indicating position of said pose indicator causes said access module to access a first resulting position of said avatar for presentation on said electronic visual or physical display, said first resulting position corresponding to a first micropose or a first blended pose synthesized from a weighted blend of two or more corresponding microposes preselected from said array of microposes, said access module further accessing said stored array of microposes, such that a second indicating position of said pose indicator causes said access module to access a second resulting position of said avatar for display on said electronic visual display, said second resulting position corresponding to a second micropose or a second blended pose synthesized from a weighted blend of two or more corresponding microposes preselected from said array of microposes, said first resulting position and said second resulting position having a transition action therebetween that does not directly correspond to said spatial position of said pose indicator, said transition action displayed on said electronic visual or physical display, said transition action occurring based on measures of virtual plausibility and physical possibility, such that when said avatar is in said first resulting position, said first micropose or said first blended pose is fully weighted, and when said avatar is in said second resulting position, said second micropose or said second blended pose is fully weighted, and when said avatar is performing said transition action, intermediate states are determined in such a way as to avoid visual implausibility and physical implausibility, whereby said system blends said first and second blended poses based on said first and second microposes, respectively, and minimizes network demand or traffic for digital puppeteering, and maximizes quality of said digital characters or avatars on said electronic visual display.