Digital Avatar for Empathy via Dynamic Attribute Modification

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

People face difficulties in relating and communicating with individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and personalities, particularly in cross-cultural interactions, differing political beliefs, and situations where one person's decisions impact others without understanding their lived experiences.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that uses a neural network to generate a digital avatar simulating human behavior, allowing users to interact in virtual reality, with the avatar initially similar to the user and gradually modified to represent a target background, facilitating behavioral empathy and understanding.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a digital avatar is created with attributes similar to the user, then the user feels comfortable and can easily interact with it, but the avatar cannot provide empathy and understanding towards different backgrounds

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser comfort in interactionVSAvoidavatar's ability to represent different backgrounds

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The digital avatar's attributes are made dynamic and modifiable over time. The system allows progressive modification of avatar attributes (age, race, gender, income, education) from similar to dissimilar, enabling the avatar to adapt its representation while maintaining user comfort through gradual transition

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system preliminarily creates an avatar with similar attributes to establish user comfort and trust before progressively modifying it to represent different backgrounds. This preliminary similar-state avatar serves as a foundation for subsequent empathy-building modifications

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If a digital avatar is created with attributes different from the user, then the avatar can represent diverse backgrounds, but the user finds it difficult to relate to and interact with it

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavatar's ability to represent different backgroundsVSAvoiduser comfort in interaction

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses dynamic attribute modification where the avatar transitions from similar to dissimilar attributes over time, rather than being statically different from the user. This gradual dynamic change maintains user comfort while achieving diversity representation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses an intermediary approach by creating a progression of avatar states between the user's own attributes and the target different background. This intermediary progressive modification serves as a bridge, making the interaction easier while still achieving empathy towards different backgrounds

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the avatar attributes are modified rapidly to represent different backgrounds, then empathy and understanding can be achieved quickly, but the user may become uncomfortable or lose trust in the avatar

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed of achieving empathyVSAvoiduser trust in avatar

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies periodic or incremental modifications to avatar attributes rather than rapid single-step changes. The progressive modification through multiple time steps maintains user trust while achieving empathy, allowing the user to adapt to each gradual change

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system cushions the transition by progressively modifying attributes over time rather than abrupt changes. This beforehand gradual transformation prepares the user for the changes, maintaining trust and comfort while achieving the goal of representing different backgrounds

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

4Reliability

If the avatar attributes are modified slowly to maintain user comfort, then user trust is maintained, but the process of achieving empathy and understanding takes longer

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser trust in avatarVSAvoidtime to achieve empathy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses periodic incremental modifications that balance speed and trust. By making regular progressive changes rather than waiting for slow natural adaptation, the system achieves empathy efficiently while maintaining user comfort through the structured gradual transition

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS12062121B2System and method of a digital persona for empathy and understanding

Publication Date: 2024.08.13 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

A method to generate a digital avatar simulating a human for behavioral empathy and understanding is described. The method includes training a neural network to generate the digital avatar to simulate the human according to a vector of human attributes and generate responses in response to interactions with a user based on the vector of human attributes. The method also includes interacting, by the user, with the digital avatar, in which the digital avatar initially having a similar background and attributes as the user. The method further includes modifying, over time, the attributes of the digital avatar to represent a target background and a target set of attributes different from the user.