Embodied agent

A branch of artificial intelligence focuses on empowering such agents to interact autonomously with human beings and the environment.

Graphically embodied agents aim to unite gesture, facial expression and speech to enable face-to-face communication with users, providing a powerful means of human-computer interaction.

It enables pragmatic communication acts such as conversational turn-taking, facial expression of emotions, information structure and emphasis, visualisation and iconic gestures, and orientation in a three-dimensional environment.

This communication takes place through both verbal and non-verbal channels such as gaze, gesture, spoken intonation and body posture.

This social interaction both raises the believability and perceived trustworthiness of agents, and increases the user's engagement with the system.

Star is run by the Army Marketing and Research Group, a division operated directly from The Pentagon.