from the YouthWorker eJournal
Concerned that children of active-duty soldiers are missing their moms and dads a little too much, the Department of Defense is hoping to develop realistic, computerized stand-ins.
These stand-ins, according to the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, would be part of a “highly interactive PC or Web-based application to allow family members to interact verbally with virtual renditions of deployed service members.” The avatars might be 3-D renderings or even holographs of the missing parents, who would be able to interact, on a limited basis, with kids. For instance, if little Tommy says, “I love you, Mommy,” the hologram might answer back, “I love you, too.” (Slate)
