hAI! Friend VR/AR - Your talking Avatar friend for life!

Customizable Character
Occlusion in AR
Avatar in AR
Change Avatar

Inspiration:
The inspiration for hAI! Friend VR/AR stemmed from the desire to create a virtual companion that could provide comfort, companionship, and learning opportunities in immersive environments.

What it does:
hAI! Friend VR/AR allows users to interact with animated avatars in virtual and augmented reality environments. Users can customize their avatars and engage in conversations in multiple languages using ChatGPT AI.

Use Case Scenarios:

Jim's Solace: After a heartbreak, Jim finds solace in his virtual friend, Jane. He talks to her regularly, finding comfort and support in their conversations.
Jill's Learning Journey: Jill, a retired senior from Brazil, uses her virtual companion, Jack, to learn Italian. She feels comfortable practicing with Jack, free from the fear of ridicule.

How We Built It:
We built hAI! Friend VR/AR using the Meta Presence platform, Oculus Depth API, and Oculus Voice SDK for immersive experiences. ReadyPlayerMe was used for avatar customization, while ChatGPT AI and Google Translate facilitated multilingual conversations.

Challenges:

Integrating lifelike animations and interactions for the avatars.
Ensuring smooth multilingual conversations and accurate translations.
Optimizing performance for VR/AR environments.

Accomplishments:

Successfully creating lifelike avatars with hypercustomizability.
Implementing multilingual capabilities for global accessibility.
Achieving seamless interactions and animations in immersive environments.

What We Learned:

The importance of user comfort and emotional connection in virtual companionship.
Technical intricacies of developing for VR/AR platforms.
Enhancing AI capabilities for natural and engaging conversations.

What's Next: