I am truly shocked and amazed. Avatar is the BEST movie I have ever seen. The Na'vi characters are simply breath-taking and way out of the uncanny valley(see below for a definition). That's an important aspect of every system that integrates Virtual human technology. The more life-like a character is, the more believable it becomes and hence, it is easier for peopel to accept it in its assigned role (guide, actor, etc). Avatar is the most tangible evidence for that. So what can we (the poor Virtual human developers) do? How can we develop systems with Virtual Humans that people will accept? If you have access a computer with 80000 processors (that's what James Cameron used for the creation of avatar), you are in HEAVEN. If not, then what? No matter how beautiful and life-like your creation is, it will only go as far as the real-time engine can take it. I have reviewed several real-time engines in the past-years and nothing comes close to Avatar. Second Life has become popular despite its crapy graphics. But has anybody ever used Second Life for a serious application? There have been a number of research attempts for training people, but there is nothing serious for the common user (other than silly things to "kill" his/er time).
Def: The uncanny valley refers to the negative effect that is created when something approaches human (in appearance) but isn't quite there; it creates this creepiness. You can find an explanation of the term from James Cameron himself here: http://news.discovery.com/videos/tech-avatar-motion-capture-mirrors-emotions.html
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