A research group led by Takahiro Miyashita, Director of the Interaction Science Research Institute at Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, and Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro at the Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, has developed a cybernetic avatar of Taro Kono's digital phase.We plan to conduct a demonstration experiment to measure the effectiveness of avatars within the year.
According to the Japan Science and Technology Agency, cybernetic avatars are a general term for robot avatars and 3D avatars that become human alter ego and extend human physical, cognitive, and perceptual abilities.The developed avatar is a robot that looks just like Kono Digital Sou, and can be moved from a distance as if it were your own body.
By using avatars, operators can participate in activities without having to go to the site, which can be expected to improve work efficiency and productivity.However, it remains a matter of debate whether what the avatar does should count as what the person did.Furthermore, it is considered necessary to involve more people than just experts in designing a social system for using avatars.
In the demonstration experiment, we will measure whether the person can feel that the person himself is coming and talking by using an avatar, and whether the words will reach you more easily than before.Based on the results of the demonstration experiment, the research group will work on examining the social norms necessary for using avatars.
