Performing Physical Object References with Migrating Virtual Characters

In this paper we address the problem of performing references to wall mounted physical objects. The concept behind our solution is based on virtual characters. These characters are capable of performing reasonable combinations of motion, gestures and speech in order to disambiguate references to real world objects. The new idea of our work is to allow characters to migrate between displays to find an optimal position for the reference task. We have developed a rule-based system that, depending on the individual situation in which the reference is performed, determines the most appropriate reference method and technology from a number of different alternatives. The described technology has been integrated in a museum guide prototype combining mobile- and stationary devices.