Attentive Presentation Agents

Abstract

Abstract. The paper describes an infotainment application where lifelike characters present two MP3 players in a virtual showroom. The key feature of the system is that the presenter agents analyze the user's gaze-behavior in real-time and may thus adapt the presentation flow accordingly. In particular, a user's (non-)interest in interface objects and also preference in decision situations is estimated automatically by just using eye gaze as input modality. A formal study was conducted that compared two versions of the application. Results indicate that attentive presentation agents support successful grounding of deictic agent gestures and natural gaze behavior.

Breaking the Ice in Human-Agent Communication: Eye-Gaze Based Initiation of Contact with an Embodied Conversational Agent

“…In the earlier experiment, the interactive agent was perceived as more responsive than the non-interactive agent. The subjects felt, however, also more disturbed by the perceptive agent [Eichner et al, 2007]. Obviously, the users enjoyed the interactive version more and found it more engaging without perceiving it, however, as more interactive.…”

“…Dependent on the duration and focus of the user's gaze further details of the scene are described via a text-to-speech system. Another exception includes the work by [Eichner et al, 2007] who made use of an eye tracker. In an experiment, they showed that agents that adapted the content of their presentation to a user's eye gaze were perceived as more natural and responsive than agents that did not have that capability.…”

“…The head is based on Ekman and Friesen's Facial Action Coding System (FACS). FACS was developed to classify human facial expressions [Ekman and Friesen, 1975]. It divides the face into action units (AU) to describe the different expressions a face can display (e.g.…”

Interacting with a gaze-aware virtual character

“…The focus of that work is the regulation of conversational flow in a multiagent environment. Unlike Vertegaal and colleagues, Eichner and colleagues [5] who made use of an eye tracker to detect interest and attentiveness in a virtual presentation In an experiment, they showed that agents that adapted the content of their presentation to a user's eye gaze were perceived as more natural and responsive than agents that did not have that capability.…”

Attentive interfaces for users with disabilities: eye gaze for intention and uncertainty estimation

“…For instance, the gaze of the user follows the agent's deictic gesture to some visual reference object, and subsequently returns to the agent's face, apparently awaiting further information from the interface agent. Based on these findings, a new generation of virtual infotainment agents, the so-called ''visual attentive presentation agents'', have been implemented [27]. 1 These agents monitor the user's gaze behaviour during their performance, and adapt their presentation to the user's visual interest (or lack of it).…”