using actor-controlled avatars

[Martin Conradi]

Some years ago I saw a demonstration of a frog avatar (not Kermit)
controlled 'live' by a hidden actor whose face and arms were wired up to the
computer so the avatar appeared to react to the speaker and slides and
anything else that happened on stage.

Can anyone tell me where I can find this technology if it still exists?

Thanks.

Martin

 

[Echo S]

Hi, Martin,

It may have been VoxProxy, although I don't see a frong in the character
gallery.

http://www.voxproxy.com/noflash.html http://www.voxproxy.com/Gallery.GIF

http://www.voxproxy.com/index.swf

It could also be "home grown" MS Agent. For that, you want to start here
http://www.msagentring.org/ . (I see a frog in the character gallery there.)
You'll want to grab MASH scripting helper from the setup page there:
http://www.msagentring.org/setup.aspx This page has links to the other
download stuff you'll need. Basically, you download a character and make a
script for it. The script for the characters goes into the speaker notes in
PowerPoint, but I don't think it works with PPT 2007.

More on MASH here: http://www.bellcraft.com/mash/

If you google "ms agent" (without the quotation marks), you'll run across a
bunch of articles and resources -- and some places that make characters. The
ones from http://www.inchain.com.au/inchain.asp?page=eclips look way cool!