Title
Bridging the Gap between Networked Appliances and Virtual Worlds
Abstract
On-line gaming coupled with virtual world development and social networking are at the forefront of next generation entertainment. In parallel, there is an unprecedented push to equip every device with networking capabilities. However, there is little evidence to suggest that these distinct technological trends will converge rather than just co-exist. There are obvious benefits to support interoperation between real objects and virtual worlds in at least two ways: improving the possibilities for device interactions and improving the functionality that is available within virtual worlds. Moreover, it also allows the physical constraints associated with real objects to be removed, enabling them to enjoy the freedom offered by virtual worlds. To promote this vision, we propose an integration architecture that blurs the gap between real and virtual objects. This supports both conventional and unconventional usage of devices visually connected to digital avatars, thus freeing users to decide how they wish to operate devices. Although much work has been done in both networked appliances and interactive entertainment, there is a need to converge these disciplines to harness the power afforded by new and emerging digital worlds. This will make it easier to interact with devices through the obvious benefits physical disembodiment brings. We present a new approach demonstrated using a working prototype to implement a virtual world capable of operating a remote appliance, either via the device or via its digital avatar.
Year
DOI
Venue
2007
10.1109/AINAW.2007.114
AINA Workshops (1)
Keywords
Field
DocType
digital world,virtual world,obvious benefit,device interaction,networked appliances,networking capability,digital avatar,virtual object,virtual worlds,interactive entertainment,real object,virtual world development,virtual environment,social networking,network interfaces,service oriented architecture,social network,open systems,mobile communication,networking,service oriented architectures,interoperation,computer networks
Metaverse,Virtual machine,Entertainment,Computer science,Interoperation,Computer network,Human–computer interaction,Open system (systems theory),Interactive programming,Multimedia,Avatar,Service-oriented architecture
Conference
ISBN
Citations 
PageRank 
0-7695-2847-3
1
0.36
References 
Authors
6
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
P. Fergus1364.56
D. Llewellyn-Jones241.08
M. Merabti319619.53
Abdennour El Rhalibi433849.07