A.I. Beatboxer (Social avatars)

A.I. Beatboxer
Social Avatars: meaningful Role-playing

Our characters explore how to change Self-Perception to foster inclusive behavior, effective diversity approaches, equality, non-discrimination and how to create bounds with nature and those who protect it

CASE 1: A.I. Beatboxer
Virtually embodying Diversity and Inclusion

While virtual inclusiveness can provide a sense of wider representation of society, it is less effective in experiencing in-game virtual empathy (reading the emotions of the other) . Adopting Cultural and mythological characters can open new routes for empathy and bonding. Artificial Intelligence voice characters and AI face tracking do the rest.

Future Humans

Under the theme of ‘Future Human’, we presented our videogame simulator "A.I Beatboxer" at the Manchester Science Festival ‘Family Zone’ (21-30 October 2022) to a record-breaking audience of 22.000 people in 10 days. Young visitors select their favourite avatar (a theater mask) and interact with their voice with an Artificial Intelligence creating a dialogue as if they were two professional beatboxers.

Fudo mask

Power-up: close the lips and surrender the devil. Their Beatboxing tone is sonically dominant

Onna Mask

Power-up: appaers in roles such as goddesses, bodhisattvas and

celestial maidens. Vocal articulation is neat and sharp

Kishin Mask

Power-up: Embodying Demons, Gods and goblins. Voice is wind instrument-like. AI was trained half human voice/ half flute

Monkey Mask

Power-up: Often called Saru is one of kids' favourite avatar. Good on liprolls and facial mimicking is scary

Kanatanotoko Mask

Power-up: A young person's dream of prosperity to reveal vanity in human life. Low and persistent spectral frequencies

A.I Beatboxer Display

Power-up: Interactive vocal-driven Installation

A Virtual Embodiment as a Social Ice Breaker

(D.Banakou, P. D.Hanumanthu and M. Slater)

Accepting and acknowledging alternative views of the world, while being able to sing together and have fun can unlock inclusive behaiour and mutual belonging among players who never met before

CASE 2: Timbi World
Virtually embodying Equality and Non-discrimination

Exploring how individuals can self-experience equal opportunities in a virtual world where every player looks the same, to make the most of their Real-Self

A MUSICAL CALABASH

Creating a video-game with all citizens looking alike is very rare. Most multiplayer video-game franchizes heavily rely on principles of individualism and players enjoy the feel of self-differentiation. However, in Timbiworld every player is embodied in a 'calabash', they are relatively small and communicate via sound constantly beating the wooden bar above their prominent heads

Child Embodiment as a little calabash persona (kind of gourd)

Embodying oneself in a virtual child may become a vehicle to examine where some of our various beliefs come from. The brain relies on autobiographical memory at an age where thoughts are more permeable and sensitive to change (for good). These memories may not be based on reality but believes and might have been distorted as one ages.

CASE 3: Mangrove World
Virtually embodying Nature

Embodying a tree character (i.e. a mangrove) can increase levels of nature relatedness (Spangenberger, P., Geiger, S.M. & Freytag, SC). Urbanisation has become a major factor pushing people to live removed from nature. Meaningful interventions embodying nature-like characters can create new bounds with nature and those who protect it.

MANGROVITES

When embodying a Mangrovite in Mangrove World, players become Stewards of the ecosystem for which they depend for living and survival. Nature create bounds with humans protecting communities from deadly typhoons.

Mangrove World (2022)

Ready to save your local village by restoring Mangroves in saline waters? Yes, become a 'leggy' Mangrove tree yourself to protect people from ferocious storms and provide a rich ecosystem for fisher people to do their job. But... hurry up before the typhoon is back and be cautions, Mangroves do not grow everywhere and need to be planted during the right lunar cycle! Plant a digital twin and we will figure out again how to make it real.
Team: KiH • Imago • Oceanus • Innovation Factory