Is talking to virtual more realistic?

Virtual worlds and animated computer avatars are becoming more realistic, more natural, and more widespread. Accordingly, we are looking at new ways of interacting with machines based on “old” methods for interacting with humans, such as talking, writing and gesturing. By applying a synergistic, multimodal approach to several application domains that incorporate avatars, augmented reality or virtual reality, we investigate whether this interface style is more suitable for realistic environments. Concrete examples and studies are used to discuss this point, raising other key questions in the design of this new generation of interfaces.