ABSTRACT
Creating embodied autonomous agents for a virtual environment combines research from computer graphics, animation, and artificial intelligence, as well as ideas from psychology, sociology, and cognitive sciences. In this chapter, some concepts that should be considered when designing and creating embodied agents for virtual environments (VEs) are discussed. Some of these concepts have been researched for many years, and some are just now being considered. Likewise, some of the associated research problems have more complete solutions than others. The chapter begins by defining embodied autonomous agents for virtual environments. Then agent appearances are discussed. Next, research on animating the actions of agents is reviewed. This is followed by a discussion of agent communication and mental processes. Finally, an outline of research in action selection is provided, concluding with a discussion of future research directions.
