InterActor: Speech-Driven Embodied Interactive Actor

Abstract

A speech-driven embodied interactive actor called InterActor, with functions of both speaker and listener, was developed for activating human interaction and communication by generating expressive actions and motions coherently related to speech input. InterActor is the electronic media version of a physical interaction robot called InterRobot for robot-mediated communication support, which is free of the hardware restrictions for human interface of advanced graphical user interface based network communication. By using InterActor, the concept of speech-driven embodied interaction system is proposed for human interaction sharing by the entrainment between human speech and InterActor motions in remote communication. The prototype of the system is developed, and the sensory evaluation and behavioral analysis in human communication through InterActor demonstrates the effectiveness of the system. Actual applications of InterActor to human interface are also demonstrated. The system is a practical communication support system, which activates human interaction and communication on the basis of only speech input.