Mixed-Reality "Party-Line Night Club" - Synchronization of Networked Avatars and Appliances with Mobile Phone Ringtones: Integrating Java3D and LAN-tap Roomware with J2ME

This article describes research on a mobile interface that allows remote control of electric appliances and avatars rendered on a workstation or personal computer to be synchronized with a mobile phone´s ringtone. The interface - implemented with DoJa, one of the profiles of J2ME (Java 2, Micro Edition) - controls electric appliances via a "LAN-tap", an Internet-connected power supply, and controls avatars by changing position parameters and attributes on a mobile phone. In a mobile phone network, delay of transmission frequently occurs because of the interference of radio waves. To synchronize appliances and avatars with a ringtone, our interface sends parameters anticipating the network delay. When a short delay occurs, the interface adjusts the time lag between the avatar and the ringtone automatically; when a long delay occurs, it can be adjusted by pushing the mobile phone´s keys. We used a 2.5 G (2.5th generation) mobile phone for this research. The interface was able to synchronize networked avatars with a slow tempo ringtone for a short time, but the connection speed was not fast enough for quick real-time synchronization. As a proof-of-concept, we deployed such phase-locked musical animation roomware with 3D avatars in a virtual space enhanced by entertainment effects displayed in a real space enhanced by some similar effects