eEVA as a Real-Time Multimodal Agent Human-Robot Interface

Abstract

We posit that human-robot interfaces that integrate multimodal communication features of a 3-dimensional graphical social virtual agent with a high degree of freedom robot are highly promising. We discuss the modular agent architecture of an interactive system that integrates two frameworks (our in-house virtual social agent and robot agent framework) that enables social multimodal human-robot interaction with the Toyota’s Human Support Robot (HSR). We demonstrate HSR greeting gestures using culturally diverse inspired motions, combined with our virtual social agent interface, and we provide the results of a pilot study designed to assess the effects of our multimodal virtual agent/robot system on users’ experience. We discuss future directions for social interaction with a virtual agent/robot system.