Developing interactive embodied characters using the thalamus framework: A collaborative approach

Abstract

We address the situation of developing interactive scenarios featuring embodied characters that interact with users through various types of media easily presents as a challenge. Some of the problems that developers face are on collaborating while developing remotely, integrating all the independently developed components, and incrementally developing a system in such way that the developed components can be used since their incorporation, throughout the intermediate phases of development, and on to the final system. We describe how the Thalamus framework addresses these issues, and how it is being used on a large project that targets developing this type of scenarios. A case study is presented, illustrating actual development of such scenario which was then used for a Wizard-of-Oz study. © 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland.