Embodiments, avatars, clones and agents for multi-user, multi-sensory virtual worlds

Authors:
Steve Benford;John Bowers;Lennart E. Fahlén;Chris Greenhalgh;Dave Snowdon
Affiliations:
Department of Computer Science, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK;Department of Psychology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK;The Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Kista, Stockholm, Sweden;Department of Computer Science, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK;Department of Computer Science, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Venue:
Multimedia Systems - Special issue on multimedia and multisensory virtual worlds
Year:
1997

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Abstract

This paper explores the issue of user embodiment within collaborative virtual environments. By user embodiment we mean the provision of users with appropriate body images so as to represent them to others and also to themselves. By collaborative virtual environments we mean multi-user virtual reality systems which explicitly support cooperative work (although we argue that the results of our exploration may also be applied to other kinds of collaborative system). The main part of the paper identifies a list of embodiment design issues grouped by the general themes of personal representation, conveying activity, embodiment in heterogeneous systems, embodiment of agents, and ethical issues. These issues are illustrated with examples from our own DIVE and MASSIVE collaborative virtual environments. The paper also uses this set of issues as an analytical framework for comparing a number of other communication technologies.