On intelligent avatar communication using Korean, Chinese and Japanese sign-languages: an overview

This paper gives an overview on an intelligent avatar communication system using Korean, Chinese and Japanese sign-languages to overcome the linguistic barrier between different languages. First of all, to achieve real-time communication, an intelligent communication method based on a client-server architecture and a sign-language translation method are considered. Also, to generate realistic gesture images, CG animation techniques and emotional expression methods are reviewed. Finally, to overcome the limitation based on different avatar models, a new communication message format using a FBML (facial body markup language) is investigated. Experimental results show a possibility that the methods could be used for intelligent sign-language communications between avatars of Korean, Japanese and Chinese on the Internet.