Virtual Reality (VR) is a growing frontier of immersive consumable content. It provides an additional layer of immersion, namely presence, which can be described as the feeling of being somewhere, in this case, inside a virtual environment, thus accepting it as real. We utilise existing game design, VR, and perception models and theories to create prototypes that test the effect of realism in the representation of the player avatar on the felt presence in VR. We consider the concepts of “game feel”, “presence”, “scales of realism” and the “Uncanny Valley” theory when building the framework for this study. Furthermore, we create three prototypes with increasing levels of visual polish and three test groups (N = 36 adults) are made to play through one of the prototypes each. Galvanic skin response (GSR) is used to measure arousal response, a measure used to quantify degrees of presence. Participants are instructed to interact with two stimuli that share the same behaviours, first a virtual toy car and then a virtual spider. The instructions for the interactions with each stimulus are identical. Results from t-tests and linear mixed-effects modelling (LMM) show indications of effectiveness of increased player avatar visual polish on producing higher arousal response readings, suggesting an increased sense of presence. Additionally, some behavioural patterns that emerged suggest a heightened sense of embodiment. We argue that the findings validate the implementation of higher visual fidelity in player avatars, in pursuit of impacting a subject’s level of arousal when exposed to a virtual spider. This has implications for game designers, psychotherapists, and researchers who aim to use VR to induce an immersive state in individuals. / Virtuell verklighet (engelska: “Virtual Reality”) är ett växande område av konsumerbara innehåll som medverkar till att användaren ska kunna försvinna bort i en artificiell verklighet. Den engelska termen “immersion” är välanvänd inom speldesign och syftar inom denna kontext på ett uppslukande av användarens uppmärksamhet när de interagerar med ett datorspel. Virtuell verklighet bidrar med ytterligare ett lager av “immersion” nämligen genom närvaro (engelska: “Presence”). Närvaro hänvisar till känslan att befinna sig på en viss plats, i detta fall i en virtuell miljö. Vi har nyttjat sedan tidigare kända modeller och teorier relaterade till speldesign, virtuell verklighet och kognitiva förmågor som utgångspunkt för att utveckla tre prototyper. Målet med dessa prototyper är att testa vilken effekt en mer realistisk representation av en användares virtuella kropp (engelska: “Player Avatar”) kan ha på den upplevda närvaron i en virtuell verklighet. De tre prototyperna har avsikten att öka den visuella detaljrikedomen (engelska: “Polish”) på en skala från en abstrakt representation av en mänsklig kropp till en mer realistisk och faktisk representation. Deltagande i experimenten bestod av N = 36 vuxna individer, uppdelade i tre testgrupper. Vi använder galvanisk hudrespons (“GSR”) för att mäta fysiologiska responser, vars data vi använder för att kvantifiera olika grader av närvaro. Deltagarna är instruerade att interagera med två olika stimuli, som innehar samma beteendemönster, först en virtuell leksaksbil och sedan en virtuell spindel. Resultaten från t-testerna och de linjära modellerna med blandade effekter (engelska: “Linear Mixed-Effect Modelling” eller “LMM”) gav indikationer på att en högre visuell trofasthet av deltagarens virtuella kropp resulterade i en större fysiologisk respons vilket kan tolkas som att deltagarna upplevde en större närvaro. Vidare upptäcktes vissa upprepade beteendemönster som kan tolkas som indicier på att deltagarna upplevde en högre nivå av förkroppsligande i korrelation till de mer visuellt imponerande prototyperna. Vi lägger fram argumentet att fynden i denna studie validerar implementationen av en högre visuell trofasthet i spelarnas virtuella kroppar med syftet att påverka deltagarens fysiologiska respons när de exponeras för en virtuell spindel. Detta har implikationer för speldesigners, psykoterapeuter och forskare som eftersträvar att inducera ett sorts uppslukande tillstånd bland individer.

Depuis la loi du 11-02-2005 pour l’égalité des droits et des chances, les lieux ouverts au public doivent accueillir les Sourds en Langue des Signes Française (LSF). C’est dans le cadre du développement d’outils technologiques de diffusion de LSF que nous avons travaillé, plus particulièrement au niveau de la traduction automatique du français écrit vers la LSF. Notre thèse commence par un état de l’art relatif aux connaissances sur la LSF (ressources disponibles et supports d’expression de la LSF) avant d’approfondir des notions de grammaire descriptive. Notre hypothèse de travail est la suivant : la LSF est une langue et, à ce titre, la traduction automatique lui est applicable.Nous décrivons ensuite les spécifications linguistiques pour le traitement automatique, en fonction des observations mises en avant dans l’état de l’art et des propositions de nos informateurs. Nous détaillons notre méthodologie et présentons l’avancée de nos travaux autour de la formalisation des données linguistiques à partir des spécificités de la LSF dont certaines (model verbal, modification adjectivale et adverbiale, organisation des substantifs, problématiques de l’accord) ont nécessité un traitement plus approfondi. Nous présentons le cadre applicatif dans lequel nous avons travaillé : les systèmes de traduction automatique et d’animation de personnage virtuel de France Telecom R&D. Puis, après un rapide état de l’art sur les technologies avatar nous décrivons nos modalités de contrôle du moteur de synthèse de geste grâce au format d’échange mis au point. Enfin, nous terminons par nos évaluations et perspectives de recherche et de développements qui pourront suivre cette Thèse.Notre approche a donné ses premiers résultats puisque nous avons atteint notre objectif de faire fonctionner la chaîne complète de traduction : de la saisie d'un énoncé en français jusqu'à la réalisation de l'énoncé correspondant en LSF par un personnage de synthèse. / Since the law was voted the 11-02-2005 for equal rights and opportunities: places open to anyone (public places, shops, internet, etc.) should welcome the Deaf in French Sign Language (FSL). We have worked on the development of technological tools to promote LSF, especially in machine translation from written French to FSL.Our thesis begins with a presentation of knowledge on FSL (theoretical resources and ways to edit FSL) and follows by further concepts of descriptive grammar. Our working hypothesis is: FSL is a language and, therefore, machine translation is relevant.We describe the language specifications for automatic processing, based on scientific knowledge and proposals of our native FSL speaker informants. We also expose our methodology, and do present the advancement of our work in the formalization of linguistic data based on the specificities of FSL which certain (verbs scheme, adjective and adverb modification, organization of nouns, agreement patterns) require further analysis.We do present the application framework in which we worked on: the machine translation system and virtual characters animation system of France Telecom R&D.After a short avatar technology presentation, we explain our control modalities of the gesture synthesis engine through the exchange format that we developed.Finally, we conclude with an evaluation, researches and developments perspectives that could follow this thesis.Our approach has produced its first results since we have achieved our goal of running the full translation chain: from the input of a sentence in French to the realization of the corresponding sentence in FSL with a synthetic character.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:15:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AnaRabello.pdf: 2792677 bytes, checksum: cdf8213d13eaa9dd616bb78b3d974ad8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-29 / The Massive Multiplayers On-line Game, a popularity worldwide communicational phenomenon are rapidly becoming an important socialization mechanism of all age people, nationality, ethnics and cultures. The object of this research is the Massive Multiplayer on-line Game Ragnarok on-line, an exclusive on-line game that has the constantly switch of information and ideas between players an essential condition for win. Analyze the communication interaction of societies build from these relations that can be producing new and challenging the actual rolls of social interaction and changing the verbal and non verbal dialog of communities in general. For participating communities, play by MMORPG can mean going in a complex social world, bringing together all of them real relationship problems and possibilities of problems existing in real life, possible by virtual representation of human figure. Analyze the relationship s characteristics of these communities, them building template, codes, representation systems and language adopted. Corpus of this analyze is constituted by interaction system made specifically in the game environment and implication about the communicational relationship pattern of these communities. The bibliography used evolve the know areas as follow: communication and information theory, communication media, theory of language, media studies, cyberculture, media culture, game theories / Os jogos multi-jogadores on-line, um fenômeno comunicacional de popularidade no mundo todo, estão rapidamente se tornando um importante mecanismo de socialização entre pessoas de diferentes idades, nacionalidades, etnias e culturas. A presente pesquisa tem por objeto o jogo eletrônico Ragnarok on-line , um jogo exclusivamente on-line onde as trocas de informações e conhecimentos entre jogadores são uma condição essencial à vitória. Analisam-se as interações comunicacionais das sociedades formadas a partir destas relações, que podem estar produzindo novas e desafiando as atuais regras de interação social e gerando grande alteração no diálogo verbal e não verbal das comunidades em geral. Para as comunidades participantes, jogar por meio de um jogo multi-usuário pode significar entrar em um complexo mundo social, trazendo junto todos os problemas e possibilidades de relacionamentos presentes em um mundo não virtual, que se faz possível pela representação virtual de sua figura humana. Analisam-se as características de relacionamento destas comunidades, seus padrões de formação, códigos, sistemas de representação e linguagem adotados. O corpus desta análise é constituído pelos sistemas de interação criados especificamente no ambiente do jogo e suas implicações sobre o padrão de relacionamento comunicacional destas comunidades. A bibliografia utilizada envolve as seguintes áreas do conhecimento: teoria da comunicação e da informação, meios de comunicação, teoria da linguagem, estudos sobre mediações, cibercultura, cultura das mídias, teoria dos jogos

Face à une image représentant une personne, nous (les êtres humains) pouvons visualiser les différentes parties de la personne en trois dimensions (tridimensionnellement – 3D) malgré l'aspect bidimensionnel (2D) de l'image. Cette compétence est maîtrisée grâce à des années d'analyse des humains. Bien que cette estimation soit facilement réalisable par les êtres humains, elle peut être difficile pour les machines. Dans ce mémoire, nous décrivons une approche qui vise à estimer des poses à partir de vidéos dans le but de reproduire les mouvements observés par un avatar virtuel. Nous poursuivons en particulier deux objectifs dans notre travail. Tout d'abord, nous souhaitons extraire les coordonnées d’un individu dans une vidéo à l’aide de méthodes 2D puis 3D. Dans le second objectif, nous explorons la reconstruction d'un avatar virtuel en utilisant les coordonnées 3D de façon à transférer les mouvements humains vers l'avatar. Notre approche qui consiste à compléter l’estimation des coordonnées 3D par des coordonnes 2D permettent d’obtenir de meilleurs résultats que les méthodes existantes. Finalement nous appliquons un transfert des positions par image sur le squelette d'un avatar virtuel afin de reproduire les mouvements extraits de la vidéo. / Given an image depicting a person, we (human beings) can visualize the different parts of the person in three dimensions despite the two-dimensional aspect of the image. This perceptual skill is mastered through years of analyzing humans. While this estimation is easily achievable for human beings, it can be challenging for machines. 3D human pose estimation uses a 3D skeleton to represent the human body posture. In this thesis, we describe an approach that aims at estimating poses from video with the objective of reproducing the observed movements by a virtual avatar. We aim two main objectives in our work. First, we achieve the extraction of initial body parts coordinates in 2D using a method that predicts joint locations by part affinities (PAF). Then, we estimate 3D body parts coordinates based on a human full 3D mesh reconstruction approach supplemented by the previously estimated 2D coordinates. Secondly, we explore the reconstruction of a virtual avatar using the extracted 3D coordinates with the prospect to transfer human movements towards the animated avatar. This would allow to extract the behavioral dynamics of a human. Our approach consists of multiple subsequent stages that show better results in the estimation and extraction than similar solutions due to this supplement of 2D coordinates. With the final extracted coordinates, we apply a transfer of the positions (per frame) to the skeleton of a virtual avatar in order to reproduce the movements extracted from the video.

Text in English / This study offers a fine-grained analysis of James Cameron’s film, Avatar (2009), on several theoretical fronts to provide a view of the film from a cognitive cultural studies perspective. The insights gained from cognitive theory are used to situate the debate by indicating the value cognitive theories have in cultural criticism. The critical discourse analysis of Avatar that results is a vehicle for the central concern of this study, which is to understand the diverse, often contradictory, meaning-making exhibited by Avatar audiences. A focus on the construction of empathic responses to the film’s messages investigates the success of this polysemy. Ihe central propositions of the study are that meanings and interpretations of the experience of viewing Avatar are made discursively; they are situated in definable traditions, mores and values; and this meaning-making takes place in a cognitive framework which allows for the technical reproduction and reception of the experience while providing powerful, emerging and cognitively plausible narratives. In an attempt to situate the film’s commercial success and its plethora of awards, including an Oscar for best art direction, the analysis takes a critical view of Cameron’s use of cultural stereotypes and the framing of the exotic other, and considers the continuing development of these elements over the whole series and product line or, as Henry Jenkins (2007) defines it, “transmedia”. In drawing the theoretical boundaries of the methodologies used in this study and in arguing for their complementarities, the study contributes to a renewal of Raymond Williams’ (1961) mostly forgotten claim of the cross-disciplinary cognitive dimension of cultural studies and demonstrates an affirmation of this formulation as cognitive cultural studies. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / M.A. (Art History)

No description available.

I propose a theoretical framework that describes how avatars incorporate media as an inherent part of their nature and find a hosting body in cyborgs to navigate and spawn in media. I propose the birth of a new scion that combines avatar, medium and cyborg into a conceptual being that I call “ICEVORG.” The ICEVORG expands beyond representation into the actual physical world by means of media transgression—more specifically, by the use of the Strange Loop also known as Metalepsis ICEVORG find an effective soil to thrive and interrogate our ideas of reality by means of iteration, expansion, fragmentation and naturalization. The development of the framework that explains the concept of ICEVORG happens in the interstices between fiction and reality. The ICEVORG transgresses boundaries to reach and transcend the concepts of the avatar and cyborg in order to generate meaning and pursue relevance in contemporary society. By dissecting the ICEVORG under the light of metalepsis that I am able to elaborate a framework to explain the world of post-hyperrealism and how ICEVORGS have become agents of change. Finally, in order to construct my argument, I employ autoethnography, a research methodology that allows for a more personal voice to be included as part of the research process.

Um fator relevante para a aceitação de metáforas de mundos virtuais 3D como interfaces homem máquina é a supressão do fator estranheza. Tal fator decorre da percepção de comportamentos não naturais entre as representações de usuários (avatares) e robôs (NPCs Non Playable Characters) nestes ambientes virtuais e acontece, principalmente, devido a diferenças sutís entre o comportamento esperado de um ser humano e o apresentado pelas representações virtuais (avatares). Ao conjunto de comportamentos exibidos denominamos persona. Assim, uma maneira de reduzir a barreira de estranheza entre usuários interagindo em mundos virtuais 3D é fazendo com que suas representações (avatares) tenham personas convincentes. Os seres humanos tem suas personas regidas por seus tratos emocionais. As interações com o ambiente e com outros seres humanos fornecem estímulos que modificam o estado emocional com relação ao estado de equilíbrio e, consequentemente, alteram o comportamento exterior observado. O estado emocional de equilíbrio pode ser obtido através da análise de corpo de comunicação em linguagem natural do usuário. Neste trabalho é defendida a tese de que através da análise do corpo das interações em linguagem natural de usuários nas mídias sociais é possível estabelecer um modelo de personalidade e persona que pode ser transposto para a representação dos usuários nem mundos virtuais 3D, de forma que as representações tenham comportamentos tais que reduzem o fator de estranheza. O modelo faz uso das interações recentes nas mídias sociais e das interações nos mundos virtuais 3D para determinar o estado emocional imediato e o comportamento instantâneo e é coerente com o paradigma do modelo OCC. Também é demonstrado que este modelo é evolutivo: pela análise contínua do corpo da comunicação é acompanhada a evolução da personalidade do usuário, bem como se adequa continuamente sua persona. Os traços de personalidade são analizados no modelo Big Five (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness) e operacionalizados no modelo PAD (Personality, arousal, dominance). O modelo constrói um campo de personalidade, no espaço PAD, de tal forma que na ausência de excitação o estado emocional do avatar fica em repouso no centro deste campo. As excitações movimentam o estado ao longo dos eixos PAD e provocam mudanças no comportamento observado. A correspondência entre as mudanças de comportamento do avatar e o movimento do estado do usuário no campo emocional aumenta a concordância entre comportamento esperado e observado, reduzindo o fator de estranheza. / A key factor for the acceptance of 3D virtual world mataphor as human machine interface is the suppression of the strangeness factor, which appears due the perception of non natural behaviour in representations of users (avatars) and bots (NPCs). Such perception raises mostly due to subtle differences in expected behavior for a human being and observed behavior in virtual representations (avatars and NPCs). In this work we will call persona the set of exhibited behaviors. Thus, a way of diminishing the strangeness valley is by supplying avatars with convincing personas. Human beings rule their personas with intermediation of their emotional traits. Interactions with environment and other beings supply stimuli that change the emotional state from the equilibrium situation and, consequently, change observed behavior. Idle emotional state can be determined through natural language communication corpora analysis. In this thesis we state that through the analysis of user interactions in social media it is possible to establish a model of personality and persona that can be transposed to their representation in 3D virtual worlds, so such representation exhibits behavior that minimize strangeness. The model uses recent interations of user in social media and his interactions inside the 3D virtual world to establish current behavior and is coherent with OCC paradigm. It is also demonstrated that such model is evolutive: by the continuous analysis of communication corpora the user personality behavior is updated and its persona is continually adjusted. Personality traits are analysed in the Big Five model (neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness) and operationalized in the PAD model (personality, arousal, dominance). A personality field is built such as in the absence of inputs, emotional state lies in the center of this field. Inputs move state along PAD axes and cause changes in the observed behavior. Correspondence between avatar behavior changes and state changes of user regarding its emotional field enhance the compliance between expected and observed behavior, reducing strangeness.

Um fator relevante para a aceitação de metáforas de mundos virtuais 3D como interfaces homem máquina é a supressão do fator estranheza. Tal fator decorre da percepção de comportamentos não naturais entre as representações de usuários (avatares) e robôs (NPCs Non Playable Characters) nestes ambientes virtuais e acontece, principalmente, devido a diferenças sutís entre o comportamento esperado de um ser humano e o apresentado pelas representações virtuais (avatares). Ao conjunto de comportamentos exibidos denominamos persona. Assim, uma maneira de reduzir a barreira de estranheza entre usuários interagindo em mundos virtuais 3D é fazendo com que suas representações (avatares) tenham personas convincentes. Os seres humanos tem suas personas regidas por seus tratos emocionais. As interações com o ambiente e com outros seres humanos fornecem estímulos que modificam o estado emocional com relação ao estado de equilíbrio e, consequentemente, alteram o comportamento exterior observado. O estado emocional de equilíbrio pode ser obtido através da análise de corpo de comunicação em linguagem natural do usuário. Neste trabalho é defendida a tese de que através da análise do corpo das interações em linguagem natural de usuários nas mídias sociais é possível estabelecer um modelo de personalidade e persona que pode ser transposto para a representação dos usuários nem mundos virtuais 3D, de forma que as representações tenham comportamentos tais que reduzem o fator de estranheza. O modelo faz uso das interações recentes nas mídias sociais e das interações nos mundos virtuais 3D para determinar o estado emocional imediato e o comportamento instantâneo e é coerente com o paradigma do modelo OCC. Também é demonstrado que este modelo é evolutivo: pela análise contínua do corpo da comunicação é acompanhada a evolução da personalidade do usuário, bem como se adequa continuamente sua persona. Os traços de personalidade são analizados no modelo Big Five (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness) e operacionalizados no modelo PAD (Personality, arousal, dominance). O modelo constrói um campo de personalidade, no espaço PAD, de tal forma que na ausência de excitação o estado emocional do avatar fica em repouso no centro deste campo. As excitações movimentam o estado ao longo dos eixos PAD e provocam mudanças no comportamento observado. A correspondência entre as mudanças de comportamento do avatar e o movimento do estado do usuário no campo emocional aumenta a concordância entre comportamento esperado e observado, reduzindo o fator de estranheza. / A key factor for the acceptance of 3D virtual world mataphor as human machine interface is the suppression of the strangeness factor, which appears due the perception of non natural behaviour in representations of users (avatars) and bots (NPCs). Such perception raises mostly due to subtle differences in expected behavior for a human being and observed behavior in virtual representations (avatars and NPCs). In this work we will call persona the set of exhibited behaviors. Thus, a way of diminishing the strangeness valley is by supplying avatars with convincing personas. Human beings rule their personas with intermediation of their emotional traits. Interactions with environment and other beings supply stimuli that change the emotional state from the equilibrium situation and, consequently, change observed behavior. Idle emotional state can be determined through natural language communication corpora analysis. In this thesis we state that through the analysis of user interactions in social media it is possible to establish a model of personality and persona that can be transposed to their representation in 3D virtual worlds, so such representation exhibits behavior that minimize strangeness. The model uses recent interations of user in social media and his interactions inside the 3D virtual world to establish current behavior and is coherent with OCC paradigm. It is also demonstrated that such model is evolutive: by the continuous analysis of communication corpora the user personality behavior is updated and its persona is continually adjusted. Personality traits are analysed in the Big Five model (neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness) and operationalized in the PAD model (personality, arousal, dominance). A personality field is built such as in the absence of inputs, emotional state lies in the center of this field. Inputs move state along PAD axes and cause changes in the observed behavior. Correspondence between avatar behavior changes and state changes of user regarding its emotional field enhance the compliance between expected and observed behavior, reducing strangeness.

Innovative technologies and their ability to grow rapidly are known to be a great source of controversy and paranoid reactions amongst people. The aim of this research is to examine the acceptance and perception of the technology of digital supermodels and influencers. This will be done in the global market of end-users where this technology has proliferated or has the potential to emerge. Digital supermodels and influencers were regarded specifically in a marketing context for this research, since the whole essence of their existence is for marketing purposes, and was approached as a new innovative technology. The research was divided into two parts, first was about conducting a questionnaire to analyse people’s acceptance of the technology, more specifically to examine the possible change in their purchasing behaviour. The purpose of the second part of given research was to examine people’s reactions and perception towards this technology through a content analysis of Instagram comments for the Instagram accounts of digital supermodels and influencers. The addressed innovative technology of digital influencers and supermodels is mostly perceived positively or neutrally. The significant amount of neutral positions in both parts of given research states the presence of confusion and the need for answers rather than lack of interest, which is to be addressed by the creators and users of digital avatars in marketing in the fashion industry.