## 2 Olos(r)  
The Internet of Things (IoT) opens up a scenario in which things not only perceive but also communicate, facilitating an ecosystem where communication surrounds us globally and can happen anytime, anywhere. However, speaking to inanimate objects through a human voice is different from speaking to a life-size human-like virtual character who can interact with real objects in their turn [31]. Virtual human beings are capable of interacting with users and objects in different contexts whenever a visual demonstration is needed. They are suitable for one-to-many user interactions in situations as diverse as museum visits and live entertainment. Therefore, virtual human beings bring one step further the capabilities of the interaction of speaking things in that they can provide support for fully fledged dialogues using natural language. This is the main feature of the European-patented methodology linked to the trademark OLOS(r) [32] (European Patent No. 2965172, Italian Patent MISE UIBM n. 000141612, European trademark UAMI n. 011115367, European design UAMI n. 002572685-001), the process for making an audio-visual interface that reproduces a life-size interactive human being. OLOS(r) interfaces typically implement a hardware-inclusive component-based architecture for visualization, event management, IoT communication, natural language processing services, and speech intelligibility. Real human beings perform roles and actions captured and reproduced by the human-like interfaces. OLOS(r), therefore, exemplifies a fusion of 21 st-century engineering and the creative process related to the performing arts tradition. It is intended for a full-size visualization rather than for smart devices; however, it can be effectively integrated into multiple visualization systems. OLOS(r) interactive virtual characters act as permanent storytellers and guides within museums. They are perceived visually and sensorially as real human beings present in our own space, in an extended reality where there is no need for sensory filters, such as various devices, including head-mounted displays. This allows for a broader fruition by multiple audiences with different characteristics. The choice of storyteller characters for OLOS(r) interactive installations is made in agreement with the cultural heritage referents and in line with the museum's themes. For this reason, it can fall on historical figures, as well as on multiple key characters, including contemporary ones. A single OLOS(r) installation can also host more than one interactive storyteller character at a time in order to create more varied and complex experiences, allowing for the interaction with different virtual human beings, each one a bearer of different stories and facilitator of experiences. The digital storytelling conveyed by OLOS(r) characters is emotionally engaging; it includes the potential of human communication but, in addition, is exponentially enhanced by the technological component. In fact, the characters' oral stories are combined with the potential of visual effects, 2D and 3D animations, music and \"holophonic\" sounds (a particular technique of faithful sound reproduction based on real auditory perception), and interaction with real objects placed both inside and outside the OLOS(r) installations (a strength and uniqueness of the European patent highlighted by the judging panel). In this way, in addition to telling specific stories related to certain aspects of the past, characters, places, and collection elements present in a specific museum, by way of example and not exhaustively, the characters can show images and videos related to them, can make another part of the original collection that is not currently present in the museum appear before the users, and can illuminate certain objects located in the room in sync with the narration, giving rise to interaction also with the surrounding environment.