April 26, 2023
Fear of public speaking could be solved with a virtual audience
The prospect of public speaking can be daunting for many people, but a program called Cicero aims to alleviate that fear using virtual reality technology. Developed by Stefan Scherer and Mathieu Chollet at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, Cicero uses immersive glasses to transport users into a virtual world where they can practice speaking in front of an audience of animated avatars. These avatars are programmed to react in real-time to the speaker's performance, offering feedback through various nonverbal cues such as body language and facial expressions.
The prospect of public speaking can be daunting for many people, but a program called Cicero aims to alleviate that fear using virtual reality technology.
Developed by Stefan Scherer and Mathieu Chollet at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, Cicero uses immersive glasses to transport users into a virtual world where they can practice speaking in front of an audience of animated avatars. These avatars are programmed to react in real-time to the speaker's performance, offering feedback through various nonverbal cues such as body language and facial expressions.
Scherer, a research assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at USC, was inspired to create Cicero because of the unique challenges presented by public speaking.
"The audience doesn't generally speak to you, so you don't have to author responses or a conversation itself," he explained.
While Cicero is not yet commercially available, Scherer and his team see a wide range of potential applications for the technology. In addition to helping people overcome their fear of public speaking, Cicero could also be used to improve social interaction skills for individuals with conditions such as schizophrenia. By offering continuous, personalized training, Cicero has the potential to help diverse workforces thrive.
