Michael Nixon

Michael Nixon is a PhD candidate at the School of Interactive Arts & Technology at Simon Fraser University. He researches how to make virtual characters in digital environments more believable through the use of better cognitive models and non-verbal behavior in social contexts. His dissertation research focuses on the use of social signals as cues in the creation of unique identities for believable characters. Michael’s M.Sc. thesis describes an investigation into the suitability of Delsarte’s system of movement as a framework for the animation of believable characters.

Publications

Integrating Cognitive Architectures into Virtual Character Design
Integrating Cognitive Architectures into Virtual Character Design
Jeremy Owen Turner, Michael Nixon, Ulysses Bernardet, Steve DiPaola. © 2016. 346 pages.
Cognitive architectures represent an umbrella term to describe ways in which the flow of thought can be engineered towards cerebral and behavioral outcomes. Cognitive...
SL-Bots: Automated and Autonomous Performance Art in Second Life
SL-Bots: Automated and Autonomous Performance Art in Second Life
Jeremy Owen Turner, Michael Nixon, Jim Bizzocchi. © 2015. 27 pages.
This chapter explores the history, state-of-the art, and interactive aesthetic potential of “SL-Bots”. SL-Bots are avatars (i.e. “agents”) that are designed and controlled using...