Systems and Methods for Generating an Interactive Avatar Model

• US 20130257877A1
• Filed: 03/28/2013
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Videx Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Videx Incorporated
• Inventors: Davis, Paul R.
• Application Number:
  US13/852,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20130257877A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/08 Probabilistic or stochastic CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for generating an avatar configured to represent traits of a human subject. First interactions of the human subject are observed, and characteristics of the human subject are extracted from the observed first interactions. An avatar characteristic table is generated or updated based on the extracted personality characteristics. Second interactions of the human subject are observed, and the avatar characteristic table is updated based on the observed second interactions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of generating an avatar configured to represent traits of a human subject, comprising:

observing first interactions of the human subject;

extracting characteristics of the human subject from the observed first interactions;

generating or updating an avatar characteristic table based on the extracted personality characteristics;

observing second interactions of the human subject; and

updating the avatar characteristic table based on the observed second interactions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an avatar is provided for interaction with a communicating party, wherein actions of the provided avatar are based on the avatar characteristic table.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a communication channel for the human subject to use to communicate with other people, wherein the second interactions are based on the human subject communicating with another person using the provided communication channel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the provided communication channel is a free or reduced cost communication channel, and wherein the human subject can use the communication channel to communicate with other people.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein communication sessions of the human subject using the provided communication channel are observed over multiple sessions to further update the avatar characteristic table.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the multiple sessions span multiple years.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interactions are based on the human subject communicating with a first person, a first computer system, or an avatar, and wherein the second interactions are based on the human subject communicating with a second person.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

creating an avatar characteristic table for the second person; and

populating or updating the avatar characteristic table for the second person based on the observed second interactions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel is a local or Internet based voice, video, or text chat channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the avatar characteristic table is stored server side, and wherein the avatar is rendered client side, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting avatar characteristic table data from a server to a client, wherein an avatar is rendered at the client, and wherein third interactions of the avatar with a client user are observed;

receiving third interaction data at the server from the client; and

updating the avatar characteristic table based on the third interaction data received from the client.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the avatar characteristic table is updated based on input from the human subject.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the avatar characteristic table is updated based on observation of interactions between the avatar and a second avatar.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the avatar characteristic table includes images or other visual data associated with the human subject.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a time warping operation on the avatar characteristic table, wherein an avatar is provided for interaction or display based on the time warped avatar characteristic table, wherein the time warping provides a hypothetical transformation of the avatar into the past or into the future.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the time warping operation to transform the avatar into the past includes reverting to a prior version of the avatar characteristic table.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the time warping operation includes adjusting an appearance of the avatar based on a picture of the human subject.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying a correlation between the avatar characteristic table associated with the human subject and a second avatar characteristic table associated with another subject, wherein the time warping operation adjusts the avatar characteristic table based on transformations of the second avatar characteristic table over time.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the time warping operation is performed in response to a request to simulate what the human subject was like at an earlier point in time or a later point in time.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the time warping operation is performed in response to an input associated with a past or future date, event, or time.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an aggregate avatar, wherein said generating includes populating an aggregate avatar characteristic table based on two or more individual avatar characteristic tables associated with individual subjects.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the aggregate avatar is provided for interaction with a communicating party, and wherein actions of the provided aggregate avatar are based on the aggregate avatar characteristic table.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein generating the aggregate avatar comprises:

accessing a first value for an avatar personality characteristic from a first avatar characteristic table associated with a first subject;

accessing a second value for the avatar personality characteristic from a second avatar characteristic table associated with a second subject;

adjusting a value for the avatar personality characteristic in the aggregate avatar characteristic table based on the first value and the second value.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the value in the aggregate avatar characteristic table is based on an average of the first value and the second value.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the aggregate avatar is provided for interaction in a teaching or assessment environment.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the aggregate avatar is based on a plurality of individual subjects associated with:

a criminal history, a psychologically abnormal history, membership in a common group.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the aggregate avatar is based on membership in a common demographic group, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting the aggregate avatar with an advertisement;

observing a reaction of the aggregate avatar to the advertisement;

wherein a simulated reaction by the demographic group to the advertisement is determined based on the observed reaction of the aggregate avatar to the advertisement.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein an avatar based on the human subject is provided for interaction with a second avatar based on a second human subject, wherein the interactions between the avatar and the second avatar are observed, and wherein the observed interactions are used to predict real-life behavior of the human subject and the second human subject.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking states of the avatar characteristic table over time;

identifying a correlation between changes in state of the avatar characteristic and real life events;

identifying a real life event; and

taking an action based on the correlation and the real life event.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the correlation is identified for multiple avatar characteristic tables associated with multiple different human subjects.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the real life event is a price of a tradable security, and wherein the action is a buying or selling of the tradable security.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein an avatar is provided for interaction with a second avatar, wherein interactions between the avatar and the second avatar are recorded and made available for playback as a video.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein data from the avatar characteristic table is imported into a video game or computer simulation.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein an avatar is provided for interaction with the communicating party by:

receiving an input from the communicating party;

determining a next state for the avatar using an avatar action model, wherein the avatar action model determines the next state based on data from the avatar characteristic table, a current state for the avatar, and the communication.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein determining the next state comprises:

generating a probability table based on the data from the avatar characteristic table, the current state for the avatar, and the human communication;

choosing a random number; and

determining the next state based on the probability table and the random number.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein determining the next state comprises providing the data from the avatar characteristic table, the current state for the avatar, and the communication to a Bayesian network to determine the next state.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein an avatar is provided for interaction in exchange for receiving an advertisement, wherein a particular advertisement provided is based on an avatar personality characteristic or a characteristic of the communicating party.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the particular advertisement is provided based on demographics of the communicating party.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the particular advertisement is provided as a product placement in a display of the avatar.

39. A system for generating an avatar configured to represent traits of a human subject, comprising:

one or more data processors;

one or more computer-readable mediums encoded with instructions for commanding the one or more data processors to execute steps that include;

observing first interactions of the human subject;

extracting characteristics of the human subject from the observed first interactions;

generating or updating an avatar characteristic table based on the extracted personality characteristics;

observing second interactions of the human subject; and

updating the avatar characteristic table based on the observed second interactions.

40. A computer-readable medium encoded with instructions for commanding one or more data processors to execute steps of a method of generating an avatar configured to represent traits of a human subject, the steps comprising:

observing first interactions of the human subject;

extracting characteristics of the human subject from the observed first interactions;

generating or updating an avatar characteristic table based on the extracted personality characteristics;

observing second interactions of the human subject; and

updating the avatar characteristic table based on the observed second interactions.