generation5

At the forefront of Artificial Intelligence

12/05/2001

The Holodeck

Posted by James Matthews:

A new training tool that seems to resemble the holodeck from Star Trek has been developed by the University of Southern California for the US Army. The thing is 8 feet high and 31 feet wide, and uses dome-like screens and 3D sound to provide a highly immersive environment. Check what they say about one of the scenarios and the AI: "...Two kinds of autonomous software agents inhabit this complex and convincing environment. Most are basic robotic programs that carry on a limited range of pre-scripted, routinized behavior -- milling in the background, standing around, etc. Three -- the detachment medic and sergeant, and the anxious mother -- are more complex. These are software actors who have substantial abilities to react to what the trainee does. Their faces change expression, thanks to software from the Santa Cruz, CA-based Haptek Corporation. They move, and most strikingly, they can respond to speech..." Pretty crazy stuff.