Believable virtual humans: Current state-of-the-art & future opportunities

Digital human replicas that look and act like real humans occupy the imagination of many researchers and creators. While some claim virtual stand-ins will make life easier and more convenient, others suggest that putting “a face on technology” will help to make even the most complicated technologies more accessible. Whenever marketers and technologists proclaim a “truly” new innovation is on the horizon about to change everything, it is sensible to ask how much of this is hype and how much is real potential. Will life-like digital human replicas change the way people interact, or will they soon be relegated, as so many innovations before them, to the realm of “techno-gimmicks” that were fun for a while but not particularly useful?

This report aims to contribute to this discussion by surveying the current state-of-the-art of creating believable virtual humans, defined as complex photo-realistic three-dimensional human models and associated logic capable of believable real-time behavioural responses and emotional interac- tions across multiple and diverse audiences.