arXiv subjects

Kazuya Izumi

Publications and source records attributed to Kazuya Izumi.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

See-Through Face Display for DHH People: Enhancing Gaze Awareness in Remote Sign Language Conversations with Camera-Behind Displays

This paper presents a sign language conversation system based on the See-Through Face Display to address the challenge of maintaining eye contact in remote sign language interactions. A camera positioned behind a transparent display allows users to look at the face of their conversation partner while appearing to maintain direct eye contact. Unlike conventional methods that rely on software-based gaze correction or large-scale half-mirror setups, this design reduces visual distortions and simplifies installation. We implemented and evaluated a videoconferencing system that integrates See-Through Face Display, comparing it to traditional videoconferencing methods. We explore its potential applications for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH), including multi-party sign language conversations, corpus collection, remote interpretation, and AI-driven sign language avatars. Collaboration with DHH communities will be key to refining the system for real-world use and ensuring its practical deployment.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

AnimeGaze: Real-Time Mutual Gaze Synthesis for Anime-Style Avatars in Physical Environments via Behind-Display Camera

Avatars on displays lack the ability to engage with the physical environment through gaze. To address this limitation, we propose a gaze synthesis method that enables animated avatars to establish gaze communication with the physical environment using a camera-behind-the-display system. The system uses a display that rapidly alternates between visible and transparent states. During the transparent state, a camera positioned behind the display captures the physical environment. This configuration physically aligns the position of the avatar's eyes with the camera, enabling two-way gaze communication with people and objects in the physical environment. Building on this system, we developed a framework for mutual gaze communication between avatars and people. The framework detects the user's gaze and dynamically synthesizes the avatar's gaze towards people or objects in the environment. This capability was integrated into an AI agent system to generate real-time, context-aware gaze behaviors during conversations, enabling more seamless and natural interactions. To evaluate the system, we conducted a user study to assess its effectiveness in supporting physical gaze awareness and generating human-like gaze behaviors. The results show that the behind-display approach significantly enhances the user's perception of being observed and attended to by the avatar. By bridging the gap between virtual avatars and the physical environment through enhanced gaze interactions, our system offers a promising avenue for more immersive and human-like AI-mediated communication in everyday environments.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2024

See-Through Face Display: Enabling Gaze Communication for Any Face$\unicode{x2013}$Human or AI

We present See-Through Face Display, an eye-contact display system designed to enhance gaze awareness in both human-to-human and human-to-avatar communication. The system addresses the limitations of existing gaze correction methods by combining a transparent display with a strategically positioned camera. The display alternates rapidly between a visible and transparent state, thereby enabling the camera to capture clear images of the user's face from behind the display. This configuration allows for mutual gaze awareness among remote participants without the necessity of a large form factor or computationally resource-intensive image processing. In comparison to conventional methodologies, See-Through Face Display offers a number of practical advantages. The system requires minimal physical space, operates with low computational overhead, and avoids the visual artifacts typically associated with software-based gaze redirection. These features render the system suitable for a variety of applications, including multi-party teleconferencing and remote customer service. Furthermore, the alignment of the camera's field of view with the displayed face position facilitates more natural gaze-based interactions with AI avatars. This paper presents the implementation of See-Through Face Display and examines its potential applications, demonstrating how this compact eye-contact system can enhance gaze communication in both human-to-human and human-AI interactions.

cs.HC↗