Source-linked AI summary
Present Drawing: Exploring Avatar-Mediated Drawing Events with Physical Traces
Kojiro Tanaka, Takuya Iwamoto, Yuki Okafuji
TL;DR
Drawing artifacts can matter partly because of who made them and how, while conventional drawing events impose physical constraints. Present Drawing stages avatar-mediated drawing with real-world physical traces and an organizer-oriented design space; an initial evaluation showed basic plausibility for one representative configuration.
Problem
Conventional drawing events impose physical constraints such as requiring drawer and observer to be co-present, while few avatar-mediated approaches treat drawing events themselves as a primary target.
Source: §1 · p. 2Method
Present Drawing combines an organizer-oriented four-axis design space with an HMD-viewed avatar synchronized to a customized pen plotter that produces physical traces.
Source: §1 · p. 2Results
The initial evaluation showed basic plausibility for one representative configuration as an avatar-mediated drawing event and highlighted factors supporting perception of the avatar as drawer.
Source: §1 · p. 2, §8 · p. 11Takeaways & Limitations
The design space lets organizers consider live or playback presentation, single or multiple sites, human or system control, and the drawer’s presented body.
Source: §1 · p. 2The evaluation covered one playback configuration with one VTuber, one short autograph-like task, and a small Japanese-speaking participant pool; other embodiments, controls, tasks, and participant backgrounds remain to be examined.
Source: §7.1.1 · p. 10
Abstract
from arXiv · showhide
We introduce Present Drawing, an approach for staging an avatar-mediated drawing event that leaves physical traces in the real world. Present Drawing aims to reconfigure conventional drawing events by relaxing their physical constraints. We describe an organizer-oriented design space for such an event along four elements: Time, Site, Control Source, and Avatar Embodiment. To ground this concept, we developed a proof-of-concept prototype in which an observer wears a head-mounted display to view an avatar. The avatar's motion is synchronized with a customized pen plotter whose mechanical parts are hidden from the observer. We also developed five application examples spanning live, playback, multi-site, mascot, and system-controlled configurations. We conducted an initial evaluation of one representative playback autograph configuration, showing the basic plausibility of the core Present Drawing experience as an avatar-mediated drawing event and highlighting factors associated with perceiving the avatar as the drawer.
1 INTRODUCTION
Present Drawing treats avatar-mediated drawing that leaves physical traces as an event format for relaxing conventional physical constraints. The paper introduces an organizer-oriented design space, a prototype with five application examples, and an initial evaluation.
1 INTRODUCTION
- Few avatar-mediated approaches treat drawing events themselves as a primary target, despite work on remote avatars and avatars affecting physical objects.Drawing events matter partly because an artifact’s value can depend on who made it and how it was made.Source: §1 · p. 2
- Present Drawing stages an avatar-mediated drawing event that leaves physical traces and organizes event choices along Time, Site, Control Source, and Avatar Embodiment.These axes frame choices from the event organizer’s perspective.Source: §1 · p. 2
- A proof-of-concept pairs an HMD-viewed avatar with a customized CNC pen plotter that hides its actuation mechanism while keeping the visible marker coupled to the avatar’s hand.The paper also presents five examples: live autograph, playback message capsule, multi-site illustration, mascot autograph, and system-controlled character autograph.Source: §1 · p. 2
- An initial evaluation examines whether one representative configuration is perceived as an avatar-mediated drawing event and identifies factors supporting perception of the avatar as the drawer.The evaluation’s stated scope is one representative configuration.Source: §1 · p. 2
2 RELATED WORK
Prior work provides physical trace generation, avatar-mediated drawing interaction, and avatars that affect physical objects. Present Drawing distinguishes itself by making witnessed production of a persistent physical drawing the event’s focus.
2.1 Physical Trace Generation Systems
- Physical trace systems include robot manipulators and CNC mechanisms, while remote handwriting systems deliver persistent written traces across distance.Those handwriting systems treat traces primarily as delivered messages, whereas Present Drawing focuses on witnessing their production as an event.Source: §2.1 · p. 2
2.2 Drawing and Embodiment in AR/MR
- AR/MR work combines avatars and drawing for collaboration, but Present Drawing positions the avatar body itself as drawer and the physical artifact as an event outcome.The artifact may be kept, gifted, displayed, or used as merchandise after the event.Source: §2.2 · pp. 2–3
2.3 MR Systems with Physical Effects
- MR systems have shown avatars perceived as agents of physical effects, yet prior work stops short of framing those capabilities as staged drawing events with real-world traces.Examples include hidden actuation, avatar-influenced objects, and remote avatar-like embodiments that can support drawing-related scenarios [14].Source: §2.3 · p. 3
3 PRESENT DRAWING
Present Drawing couples an avatar’s drawing motion with a physical tool and material traces so an observer experiences the action and resulting trace as one event. Its organizer-oriented design space separates event presentation choices from what drives the drawing action.
3.1 Concept
- Present Drawing couples avatar motion, a physical drawing tool, and material traces so the observer experiences the action and resulting trace as one event.The paper focuses on an avatar appearing to draw with a marker on paper while a co-located observer watches the trace emerge.Source: §3.1 · p. 3
3.2 Design Space
- The organizer-oriented design space derives four choices from prior work: Time, Site, Control Source, and Avatar Embodiment.Time and Site characterize mediated activity, while prior work on VTubing and AR remote collaboration informs control and embodiment choices [22].Source: §3.2 · p. 3
3.2.1 Time.
- Time distinguishes live events, which unfold in real time and can support interaction, from playback of recorded actions that re-presents the moment of creation with its trace.Playback lets a past drawing be experienced again as an event rather than only as a finished drawing.Source: §3.2.1 · p. 3
3.2.2 Site.
- Site distinguishes single-site from multi-site events; one drawing event can be delivered in parallel to distant locations while leaving physical traces at each.The design-space figure also identifies Site as a presentation axis.Source: §3.2.2 · pp. 3–4, Figure 2 · p. 4
3.2.3 Control Source.
- Control Source distinguishes human-operated motion and paths from system-controlled ones, which developers can create and edit without an operator performing each event.The source determines both the presented drawing action and the path that generates the physical trace.Source: §3.2.3 · p. 4
3.2.4 Avatar Embodiment.
- Avatar Embodiment lets organizers choose the presented drawer’s body independently of Control Source, from performer-like figures to stylized or puppet-sized characters.Each embodiment can still leave persistent physical traces on paper.Source: §3.2.4 · p. 4
4 PROOF-OF-CONCEPT PROTOTYPE
The proof-of-concept pairs an avatar with a concealed pen plotter that produces physical marks, using synchronized authoring and performance phases. Its workflow supports human-operated or system-generated events, presented live or in playback.
4.2 Process
- The prototype has an authoring phase that captures synchronized avatar motion and stroke traces, followed by a performance phase that presents the event and materializes its strokes on paper.Both phases use a server PC and an HMD with video pass-through.Source: §4 · p. 4, §4.2 · p. 5, Figure 5 · p. 6
4.1 Self-Moving Pen Plotter
- A self-moving plotter conceals its CNC and pen-up/down mechanisms, leaving mainly the paper and marker visible to strengthen the impression that the avatar draws directly.The CNC moves a magnetic carriage beneath the acrylic plate, which transfers motion to the marker mount.Source: §4 · p. 4, §4.1 · pp. 4–5
- Magnets couple the carriage to the marker mount, while rotating a polarity switch lifts the marker for travel and lowers it for drawing.The prototype uses a vertical drawing surface, though the plotter can also operate horizontally.Source: §4.1 · pp. 4–5
4.2.1 Authoring Phase.
- In human-operated authoring, HMD body tracking and a tablet capture motion and strokes in plotter-aligned coordinates, which are stored with synchronized timestamps as an event package.A puppet-like hand-tracking variant is used for the mascot example.Source: §4.2.1 · p. 5
- In system-controlled authoring, the server combines pre-authored character strokes according to an input string and synthesizes aligned avatar motion with inverse kinematics.This mode generates the event package without a live human operator.Source: §4.2.1 · p. 5
4.2.2 Performance Phase.
- During performance, the server sends avatar motion to the HMD and marker-path commands to the plotter, estimating timestamps from marker position during drawing to keep the avatar aligned with the physical marker.The same pipeline supports live streaming and later playback of stored event packages.Source: §4.2.2 · pp. 5–6
5 APPLICATION EXAMPLES
Five examples instantiate the organizer-oriented design space through variations in Time, Site, Avatar Embodiment, and Control Source. They range from live interaction and replayed messages to multi-venue performances, mascot drawing, and procedurally generated autographs.
5.1 Live Autograph Session
- A live autograph session pairs real-time avatar-attendee interaction with a physical autograph, and can stage a talent drawing for an attendee at another site.The example also suggests live autograph sessions for digital talents such as VTubers [22].Source: §5.1 · p. 6
5.2 Moment Message Capsule
- A Moment Message Capsule lets a sender record drawing motion and strokes in advance so a recipient later experiences the message being drawn as an event.The example packages the moment of drawing, not only the message.Source: §5.2 · p. 6
5.3 Multi-Site Illustration Performance
- A multi-site illustration performance presents the same live performance simultaneously at multiple venues, producing a physical drawing at each one.The resulting illustration could also be offered as merchandise at each venue.Source: §5.3 · p. 6
5.4 Mascot Autograph Greeting
- A palm-sized mascot is puppet-controlled through hand tracking during authoring, then appears to move the marker and draw on its own during performance.Source: §5.4 · p. 6
5.5 System-Controlled Character Autograph
- A system-controlled character produces a personalized autograph by combining pre-authored character strokes with a pre-signed autograph and generating corresponding avatar motion.Source: §5.5 · p. 6
6 INITIAL EVALUATION
The initial evaluation examined whether observers could perceive the prototype as an avatar-mediated drawing event. It tested one representative playback autograph configuration and considered factors associated with perceiving the avatar as the drawer.
6 INITIAL EVALUATION
- The evaluation asked whether the prototype’s core experience could be perceived as an avatar-mediated drawing event.Source: §6 · pp. 6, 8
- All participants experienced one controlled playback configuration; the evaluation was not designed to compare the design-space axes.Source: §6 · p. 8
- The evaluation also examined factors associated with observers’ sense that the avatar itself was drawing.Source: §6 · p. 8
6.1 Method
The method used a fixed playback autograph scenario with eight institutional participants. Questionnaires assessed drawer attribution, synchronization, autograph oddness, and supplementary presence, followed by interviews.
6.1.1 Participants.
- Eight institutional participants took part; five were female and three male, and none belonged to the authors’ laboratory.All were native Japanese speakers with normal or corrected-to-normal vision and no prior knowledge of the evaluation.Source: §6.1.1 · p. 8
6.1.2 Evaluation Setup.
- Participants watched a playback VTuber autograph session from a fixed position about 1.0 m from the plotter while wearing a pass-through HMD.The scenario used pre-scripted speech, no user interaction, and two autograph drawings so participants received the same event content.Source: §6.1.2 · p. 8, Figure 7 · p. 8
6.1.3 Measurements.
- Seven-point Likert items assessed avatar drawer attribution, hand-stroke synchronization, autograph oddness, and two supplementary presence questions, followed by thematic analysis of interviews.The presence items complemented the main evaluation rather than providing a full presence assessment.Source: §6.1.3 · p. 8, Table 1 · p. 8
6.1.4 Procedure.
- Each participant completed the session, questionnaire, and a roughly 15-minute semi-structured interview; the full procedure lasted about 30 minutes.Source: §6.1.4 · p. 8
6.2 Results
In the single playback evaluation, participants tended to perceive the avatar as the drawer and the autograph as not especially odd. Perceived hand–marker synchrony and increased presence during drawing were less conclusive.
6.2 Results
- The analysis compared each item’s responses with the 7-point scale’s neutral midpoint of 4 using two-sided exact Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.The significance threshold was 0.05, with results at 0.01 also noted.Source: §6.2 · p. 8
6.2.1 Perceived Avatar-Mediated Drawing in Physical Space.
- Q1 ratings were significantly above neutral (W=0.000, p=0.008), and interview comments often described the avatar as drawing the autograph.The chart plots questionnaire responses around the neutral midpoint of 4; its bars show participant counts.Source: §6.2.1 · pp. 8–9, Figure 8 · p. 9
- Q2 responses leaned positive but did not differ significantly from neutral (W=0.000, p=0.063), with interviews noting both natural synchrony and visible timing mismatches.Source: §6.2.1 · p. 9
6.2.2 Naturalness of the Produced Autograph.
- Q3 ratings were significantly below neutral (W=0.000, p=0.008), and interviews suggested the autograph was not perceived as especially odd.Source: §6.2.2 · p. 9
6.2.3 Perceived Avatar Presence During the Event.
- Q4 ratings were significantly above neutral (W=0.000, p=0.016), while Q5 showed no significant deviation from neutral (W=1.500, p=0.094).Participants differed on whether drawing strengthened the avatar’s presence; some already felt strong presence before the drawing strokes.Source: §6.2.3 · p. 9
6.3 Discussion of Avatar-Mediated Drawing Event Plausibility
In the evaluated playback condition, findings suggest a basic plausible avatar-mediated drawing event: participants tended to attribute the autograph to the avatar and report little oddness. Fine-grained synchrony was mixed, and drawing did not clearly increase perceived avatar presence.
6.3.1 Basic Plausibility of Avatar-Mediated Drawing Event.
- In playback, participants tended to feel the avatar drew the autograph and reported little oddness, supporting basic plausibility of an avatar-mediated drawing event.The authors connect this impression with the baseline sense of avatar presence in Q4.Source: §6.3.1 · p. 9
6.3.2 Perceiving the Avatar as the Drawer Beyond Fine-Grained
- Participants could still perceive the avatar as drawing despite mixed fine-grained synchrony, though noticeable timing mismatches may weaken that perception.The authors offer experiencing avatar movement, marker motion, and the emerging trace as one connected drawing action as a possible interpretation.Source: §6.3.2 · p. 9
6.3.3 Avatar Presence in Drawing Event Content.
- Although Q4 indicated avatar presence, Q5 did not show that presence became stronger during drawing; the supplementary items were not a full presence assessment.The authors note that the single-condition question differs from prior comparisons of conditions with and without avatar-linked physical influence and call for validated measures.Source: §6.3.3 · p. 9
6.4 Discussion of Factors Supporting Perceiving the Avatar as the Drawer
The discussion identifies motion timing and character, visible or audible mechanism cues, and real-time interaction as factors that may shape whether the avatar is perceived as the drawer.
6.4.1 Lag and Drawing-Like Motion.
- Reducing visible lag may support avatar authorship, while nearly constant-speed marker motion can make strokes seem machine-drawn.Drawing-like speed and acceleration variations may help sustain the sense that the avatar is the drawer.Source: §6.4.1 · p. 10
6.4.2 Mechanical Cues.
- Few visible mechanical cues helped some participants attribute marker movement to the avatar, while motor noise weakened that impression for others.The discussion suggests concealing visual cues and reducing audible ones may help sustain the impression.Source: §6.4.2 · p. 10
6.4.3 Real-Time Interaction.
- Participants suggested that communicating with the avatar and immediately reflecting that interaction in the drawing might strengthen the sense that the avatar is the drawer.Source: §6.4.3 · p. 10
7 LIMITATION & FUTURE WORK
The evaluation and prototype have limited scope across conditions, presentation methods, settings, and drawing materials. The discussion identifies control improvements and broader event configurations as future directions.
7.1.1 Scope of the Current Evaluation.
- The evaluation covered one playback configuration: a VTuber avatar drawing a short autograph-like task under human-operated control.It was designed as a controlled first step for visual plausibility; live interaction, other embodiments and control modes, longer or more complex drawings, and broader participant samples remain untested.Source: §7.1.1 · p. 10
7.1.2 Mechanism Visibility and Display Method.
- The HMD-based, minimized-mechanism setup was not compared with a visible-mechanism condition, and other display methods’ effects on drawer perception remain unexplored.Source: §7.1.2 · p. 10
7.1.3 Field Evaluation.
- The controlled laboratory evaluation does not establish how the experience will be received in fan events, exhibitions, or public installations.Source: §7.1.3 · p. 10
7.2.1 Control of Self-Moving Pen Plotter.
- The grblHAL-based setup can produce nearly uniform marker motion and small avatar–marker mismatches because reported CNC motion may lag the marker and does not reproduce time-varying handwriting speed.The authors suggest time-aware closed-loop control and direct position sensing as future approaches, while noting that plotter performance still needs evaluation.Source: §7.2.1 · pp. 10–11
7.2.2 Drawing Media and Mount Constraints.
- Output quality with other papers or markers is unverified, and the current marker mount does not readily support both right- and left-handed use.Separating the avatar’s visible marker from the physical tracing object is offered as one possible way to support different handedness and grip styles.Source: §7.2.2 · p. 11
7.3 Future Directions
- Future directions include larger drawing areas, collaborative and multiple-avatar events, and switching among tools or marker types.The current prototype’s form factor constrains the design space; the proposed extensions broaden event scale, social structure, and expressive range.Source: §7.3 · p. 11
8 CONCLUSION
Present Drawing stages avatar-mediated drawing events that leave physical traces, supported by an organizer-oriented design space, a prototype, five application examples, and an initial evaluation. The evaluation found the representative configuration basically plausible and highlighted factors associated with perceiving the avatar as the drawer.
8 CONCLUSION
- Present Drawing combines an avatar-mediated drawing event with physical traces and an organizer-oriented design space for expanding conventional drawing events through avatars.The design space is described from an event organizer’s perspective.Source: §8 · p. 11
- The proof-of-concept prototype uses a magnetically actuated pen plotter to generate physical strokes while maintaining visual coupling between the avatar and marker.The plotter combines planar marker motion with magnetic pen-up/down control.Source: §8 · p. 11
- Five application examples demonstrate configurations based on the design space.Source: §8 · p. 11
- The initial evaluation found one representative configuration basically plausible as an avatar-mediated drawing event and highlighted factors associated with perceiving the avatar as the drawer.The paper also discusses limitations involving synchronization, media constraints, and field deployment.Source: §8 · p. 11