The investigation of Man-Agent interaction

1. Scope

The two types of agents can be observed in the network hosts. One is called inner agent which works inside the host and interfaces to the user request. Another is called outer agent, searches DB or negotiates with other agents to send or get information under the control of inner agents.

The paper has concern with the interaction between inner agent and Man.

2. Area of speech

Speech input agent would have the sensing capabilities for the following items.

• Existence of the sound
• Existence of the human voice
• Speaking person
• Emotional state of the speaker
• Contents of the speech

To know these items accurately, it must be necessary to establish huge super artificial brain. But there must be a reasonable solution to make the recognition field narrow. The paper investigates it.

Speech output one would control the following items depending on the user request or automatic studying the preference of the user.

• Male or Female
• Color of tone
• Tempo
• Key

3. Area of Image

Image recognition agent would be able to know,

• Existence of objects
• Existence of a man
• Existing person
• Emotional state
• Movement of mouth

The strict recognition of a person from the video image is not so easy. Agent may use other methods like Iris analysis for this purpose.

Image output agent may render the following images under the control of user request or other agents request from networks.

• Face of inner agent Avatar
• Figure of outer agent Avatar
• Figure of another person's Avatar
• World or walking through town

4. Information fusion

Recognition accuracy would increase by the information fusion at the following items

• Person recognition by the voice and face image.
• Emotion estimation by the voice and face image.
• Speech recognition by the voice and mouth image.

The paper investigates the specification for the practical grade of capability.

5. Q and A for "FIPA Agent Capability List Ver 1.1 May 10, 1996"

Q: What are your application requirement?

A: 1.1 1.2.a--c 1.3.a

May 30, 1996

Kyoichi Shimizu

J.V.C.

Central Research Lab.

Technology Development div.