The field of Autonomous Virtual Agents is a new and emerging area that is starting to make its way out of research and into the commercial world. Only recently has the price and power of computers made virtual agents a viable option to explore scientifically. Despite being a relatively new field of research, large strides have been made in a short time. Lately there has been a marked increase in interest with virtual agents in diverse industries such as entertainment, education, engineering, and film. Participants felt a follow-up workshop should be organised in 1999 and since a major theme had been that of Virtual Agents, this was chosen as the theme of the forthcoming workshop.
People researching virtual agents tend to come from either the visualization or agent community.
The two communities have much to learn from each other, if solutions are not to be reinvented on both sides. The use of virtual agents for training Virtual agents in shared worlds Biologically inspired virtual agents Virtual ecosystems Attendance and Registration To encourage discussion and interaction there are a limited number of places, so early registration is recommended. All delegates wishing to attend should send a short position statement highlighting their research or interest in virtual agents. It is not necessary to register for the UK VR-SIG on the 14th and 15th of September, if you only wish to attend the virtual agent workshop. Their will also be an evening, details of which are under preparation.