Presentation by Dr. Adreas Braun during the workshop Affective interaction with avatars by Carsten Stocklöw - AAL Forum 2015

1. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Affective Interaction with Avatars
V2me - Virtual Coach Reaches out to me
Dr. Andreas Braun
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

2. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Agenda
 About V2me
 System Description
 Piloting and Lessons Learned
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

3. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
About V2me
Project
 Project of AAL JP Call 2 - Social Interaction
 Running from May 2010 - October 2013
 Goals
 Reduce loneliness in Europe's Ageing Population
 Improve social connectedness and quality-of-life
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

4. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
About V2me
Consortium
 Lead: Fraunhofer - Germany
 VTT - Finland
 VU Amsterdam - Netherlands
 Université de Luxembourg - Luxembourg
 Technische Universität Graz - Austria
 Mawell Ltd - Finland
 Hospital AS - Norway
 User Interface Design GmbH - Germany
 Diakonie Neuendettelsau - Germany
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

5. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
About V2me
Approach
 Friendship Coaching
 Digital version of friendship enrichment program
 Individual "group therapy"
 Adapted Social Networks
 Easy access
 Integration of peers, family, and carers
 User-Centered-Design and easy interaction
 Tablet-based controls - virtual coach on a TV
 Iterative multi-stage development of functions and UI
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

6. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
About V2me
Approach
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015
Motivator - Dynamic coaching
based on mood of the user
Expert - Coach supports in
improving the social network
Mentor - Coach helps if things
are not working as planned
Source: Professor marginalia

7. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Agenda
 About V2me
 System Description
 Piloting and Lessons Learned
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

8. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
System Description
Architecture
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015
Tablet
Home
S7
Content DB
Content Editor
C2DM
Google
► Storage
- User & group data
- Calender data
- FL results
- User behavior (log files)
► Storage
- 3D meshes
- Media files
- FL content
►Create FLs► Coach
- Friendship Lessons
- Social Network
- Calendar
► Input device
► Visualized 3D coach
► Shared Exercises
Kinect
► Push events
► Input device
Information flow

9. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
System Description
Impressions
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

10. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
System Description
Impressions
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

11. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
System Description
Impressions
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015
Content Editor Lesson Editor

12. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Agenda
 About V2me
 System Description
 Piloting and Lessons Learned
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

13. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Piloting and Lessons Learned
Long Term Study
 Initial phase following UCD
 Workshops
 Iterative Pilots in three countries
 Long-term study
 Goal: Verify if it reduces perceived loneliness
 Mostly unmonitored test in Netherlands over 3 months
 7 users - difficult acquisition process
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

14. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Piloting and Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
 Planning of pilots can't start early enough
 From a planned 120 to 60 to 12 to 7
 Technical difficulties but mostly problems in finding lonely persons that are willing
to participate
 Expectations of users
 They won't get a perfectly running systems
 Difficulties in assessing usability
 Long term tests during a R&D project are "challenging"
 High effort in training and support needed
 Large number of systems required
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

15. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Piloting and Lessons Learned
Quotes from participants - as a friend?
„Sure, why not? But only in a platonic way! “
„He already is a friend. Particularly, since I stopped working,
being at home and want to do something. I turn him own. I
have some company.“
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

16. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Piloting and Lessons Learned
Quotes from participants - criticism
„He has some issues… sometimes he starts talking in the
middle of the night!“
„At first I liked him … later he became annoying. There were
technical issues, the articulation, the flat intonation. Why
should I bother?“
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015

17. © 2015 Fraunhofer IGD
Thank you for your attention!
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum 2015
Ghent, 23.09.2015
www.v2me.org
Affective Interaction with Avatars - AAL Forum Ghent - September 2015