IoT avatar: various objects in real space are anthropomorphised as avatars

In this paper, we propose an IoT avatar that anthropomorphises various objects in real space as avatars that can communicate with people around them. Each IoT avatar is realised by attaching a small communication device equipped with a camera, microphone, and speaker that is operated by a remote user. In the context of using avatars in real space, robot avatars have attracted attention and have been effectively utilised. However, the use of these robot avatars may require a large number of robots to be deployed at each remote location. In contrast, an IoT avatar has the advantage that the objects themselves can be used as avatars. In this study, we focused on the voice of an IoT avatar with the aim of anthropomorphising various objects as avatars. Therefore, a prototype was developed that implements a voice transformation function and a real-time altered auditory feedback function for a remote user. From the evaluation experiments, it can be said that the proposed system was able to anthropomorphise objects as avatars and communicate with people on-site. It is also suggested that the remote users can communicate with the people on-site as if they were becoming the objects themselves via the proposed system.