[UIST 2023] Neighbor-Environment Observer: An Intelligent Agent for Immersive Working Companionship

Abstract

Human-computer symbiosis is a crucial direction for the development of artificial intelligence. As intelligent systems become increasingly prevalent in our work and personal lives, it is important to develop strategies to support users across physical and virtual environments. While technological advances in personal digital devices, such as personal computers and virtual reality devices, can provide immersive experiences, they can also disrupt users’ awareness of their surroundings and enhance the frustration caused by disturbances. In this paper, we propose a joint observation strategy for artificial agents to support users across virtual and physical environments. We introduce a prototype system, neighbor-environment observer (NEO), that utilizes non-invasive sensors to assist users in dealing with disruptions to their immersive experience. System experiments evaluate NEO from different perspectives and demonstrate the effectiveness of the joint observation strategy. A user study is conducted to evaluate its usability. The results show that NEO could lessen users’ workload with the learned user preference. We suggest that the proposed strategy can be applied to various smart home scenarios.