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Software Tools for the Development and Reuse of Avatars with Culture-Specific…

Award Information

Agency:
Department of Defense 		Branch:
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 		Award ID:
68784 		Program Year/Program:
2004 / SBIR
Agency Tracking Number:
04SB1-0160 		Solicitation Year:
N/A 		Solicitation Topic Code:
N/A 		Solicitation Number:
N/A
Small Business Information
Vcom3D, Inc.
11474 Corporate Blvd Suite 140 Orlando, FL -
View profile »
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No
 
Phase 1
Fiscal Year: 2004
Title: Software Tools for the Development and Reuse of Avatars with Culture-Specific Behaviors
Agency / Branch: DOD / DARPA
Contract: W31P4Q-04-C-R237
Award Amount: $98,990.00
 

Abstract:

In order to increase the accessibility to courses in Foreign Languages and cultures, organizations such as the Defense Language Institute (DLI) are developing distributed learning courses that include responsive, multi-cultural avatars. Currently, training simulations employing these avatars must be developed independently for each language and culture, at a significant expense. Furthermore, the avatars developed for these courses are not necessarily designed to support reuse by other projects, such as DARWARS. For this Phase I SBIR Project, Vcom3D will develop a modular architecture for avatars that can be easily modified to model different cultures and contexts. Our approach will be to separate the "meaning and intent" of character interactions from the culture-specific ways in which individual characters convey this information through speech, gesture, and action. We will develop a proof-of-concept authoring tool for creating training simulations that can be tailored for different cultures by embedding virtual characters with appropriate "built-in" behaviors. We will conduct an evaluation of the performance, accuracy, and "believability" of the behaviors with DLI faculty and other appropriate subject matter experts. To support rapid adaptation of this technology by other programs, we will develop to Web, IEEE, and ISO-track standards such as XML, HLA, X3D, and H-Anim.

Principal Investigator:

Edward M. Sims
Chief Technology Officer
4077377309
eds@vcom3d.com

Business Contact:

Carol J. Wideman
CEO
4077374695
carolw@vcom3d.com
Small Business Information at Submission:

VCOM3D, INC.
3452 Lake Lynda Dr., Suite 260 Orlando, FL 32817

EIN/Tax ID: 593419305
DUNS: N/A
Number of Employees:
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No