After being shown to an audience at E3 2009, the virtual character "Milo", who can be interacted with using Microsoft's Kinect, was not seen again until now. At the TED Global conference in Oxford, Microsoft showed off the virtual boy and how he reacts to a person's emotions, body movements and voice.
"I want to introduce a new revolution in storytelling," games designer Peter Molyneux told the audience. He declared that films, television and books were rubbish to him because they do not involve the audience, adding that he wanted to make a character that seemed alive, and that would "look me in the eyes and feel real."
An assistance conducted a demo showing Milo exploring a garden. "We're changing the mind of Milo constantly," he said. "No two people's Milos can be the same - you are actually sculpting a human being. Some of the things you are doing will change the course of his life."
He said Milo was built using artificial intelligence technology developed by his firm, as well as technology "hidden away in the dusty vaults of Microsoft." Milo exploits psychological techniques to make a person feel that he is real. "Most of it is just a trick - but it is a trick that actually works," Molyneux said.
During the demonstration, the assistant egged Milo on to squash a snail in the garden. Molyneux explained that commands like these are interpreted using voice-recognition software and a database that attempts to interpret player's intonation and meaning in real-time.
After a while, Milo begins to recognize the player. "I can promise you that if you are sitting in front of this screen, that is a truly wonderful moment," Molyneux said. He said that right now the technology is still in development with no plans for Microsoft to release it.
He did hint however that the game is intended to be used by millions of people and could become a commercial product one day. "His mind is based in the cloud," he told the audience. "As millions of people use it, Milo will get smarter."
An assistance conducted a demo showing Milo exploring a garden. "We're changing the mind of Milo constantly," he said. "No two people's Milos can be the same - you are actually sculpting a human being. Some of the things you are doing will change the course of his life."
He said Milo was built using artificial intelligence technology developed by his firm, as well as technology "hidden away in the dusty vaults of Microsoft." Milo exploits psychological techniques to make a person feel that he is real. "Most of it is just a trick - but it is a trick that actually works," Molyneux said.
During the demonstration, the assistant egged Milo on to squash a snail in the garden. Molyneux explained that commands like these are interpreted using voice-recognition software and a database that attempts to interpret player's intonation and meaning in real-time.
After a while, Milo begins to recognize the player. "I can promise you that if you are sitting in front of this screen, that is a truly wonderful moment," Molyneux said. He said that right now the technology is still in development with no plans for Microsoft to release it.
He did hint however that the game is intended to be used by millions of people and could become a commercial product one day. "His mind is based in the cloud," he told the audience. "As millions of people use it, Milo will get smarter."
