Prototype of Cyber Assistant Professor: CAP

To reduce the production cost of 3D-CG educational contents for e-Learning system and to improve the capability of self-learning system, we developed a new self-learning system based on the Cyber Person. Cyber Person is a Human Shaped Software Robot by using 3D Computer Graphics and Speech Synthesis technologies. This system includes 3DCG stage, many kind of stage parts (3D-CG shaped models, Photographs or Text Panels) and Cyber Person(s). Because Cyber Person acts as a virtual teacher, we named it Cyber Assistant Professor (CAP). In CAP system, educational contents can be written by Script Language named Cyber Person Scenario Language 2 (CPSL2). CPSL2 is a Tag-based hypertext language like a HTML, which describes a scenario of 3D-CG interactive animation. CAP Browser converts this scenario to the real-time interactive 3D-CG animation, which is NOT a rendering movie. CAP can instruct the educational subject by using Body Action, Facial Expression and Voice Speaking. And many stage parts also can move simultaneously corresponding to the CAP’s instruction. Sometimes CAP shows the question to the learner and learner has to answer by clicking the specified stage parts, e.g. selects the correct answer or enters the number. Consequently, CAP can change the scenario of 3D-CG animation or load the external scenario file. By using CAP system, we developed some teaching materials for elementary school students. This paper describes the system architecture of CAP system and the details of CPSL2.