In the virtual-reality world Second Life, cartoonlike characters known as “avatars” communicate through instant messages. Avatars know someone is chatting with them when his or her hands pantomime tapping a computer keyboard while a message appears on the screen.
That experience, however, could become obsolete. Second Life is now testing software that allows avatars to communicate using the voices of their human operators.
Alan Levine, chief technology officer of the New Media Consortium, showed how the technology works at the group’s annual conference, in Indianapolis, on Wednesday. He spoke into a microphone that was plugged into his laptop, and his voice was projected through his avatar — a half-human, half-dog character known as CDB Barkley. Green arcs appeared above Barkley’s head to signify that he was speaking.
Mr. Levine explained that avatars in Second Life could use the technology to experience speech like in the real world: As an avatar who is talking approaches other characters, his or her voice would become louder. Mr. Levine also said some people in Second Life could use software to distort their real voices so that others could not easily identify them. —Andrea L. Foster
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