Veepers: Web folk from Pulse. (product spotlight).(Veepers interactive program animates digital photographs)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)

With a literal take on the concept of talking heads, Pulse has introduced Veepers, an interactive Web technology that turns 2D images into 3D characters who can talk. By assigning data points to the eyes, nose, and mouth of a person in a digital photograph, a user can quickly and easily create an online host, instructor, or avatar who interacts with visitors by speaking and showing a range of emotions. Either a text-to-speech engine or recorded audio can be used to give voice to the characters, and lip-synching is performed automatically.

E-mail, messaging, and chat are obvious applications for Veepers, and Pulse is also targeting customer relations. But the company's big push is e-learning. Citing research that shows interactive characters can deliver information to online students more effectively than text and images alone, Pulse is hoping to see Veepers used ...