The Environmental Virtual Assistant is an embodied Artificial Intelligence and augmented reality assistant designed to integrate with smart home device networks. While you wear an augmented reality headset, this Assistant appears as a floating presence beside you, responding to your voice commands. For example, saying “Help me get ready for bed” prompts the Assistant to dim the room lights, adjust the room temperature, and play soothing music via a smart speaker device.
The Assistant maintains an awareness of its surroundings, allowing it to navigate around furniture and properly occlude when out of view, enhancing its sense of presence in the environment. By leveraging embodiment, the Assistant enables natural interactions within an IoT-enabled smart home.
Future applications include guided augmented reality tours, where users can interact with the Assistant by asking questions rather than just listening to recorded audio playback. Additionally, as an embodied AI, the Assistant could serve in roles requiring a Human Digital Twin, or as a more natural alternative to traditional AI systems.