Why is the creation of a virtual signer challenging computer animation?

Abstract

Virtual signers communicating in signed languages are a very interesting tool to serve as means of communication with deaf people and improve their access to services and information. We discuss in this paper important factors of the design of virtual signers in regard to the animation problems. We notably show that some aspects of these signed languages are challenging for up-to-date animation methods, and present possible future research directions that could also benefit more widely the animation of virtual characters. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.