Ramona

Ramona is the tech-savvy interactive e-hostess for KurzweilAI.net. She is a photorealistic, lifelike avatar (virtual personality) that you can converse with on the web.   But Ramona isn't just a pretty face.

She's a "chatterbot" (conversational robot). Using natural language processing techniques, she conducts conversations with visitors, responding to typed questions or comments with a lifelike face, lip-synched speech and appropriate facial expressions.   

Her "Brain" is a visual map showing how each "thought" (browsable word or phrase) relates to other thoughts on the site. Visitors use it to intuitively navigate through the site's knowledge base or click on any bold blue words to get to articles or other sites. Ramona has mastered thousands of "thoughts" (e.g., nanotechnology, virtual reality, Marvin Minsky) gleaned from site content and explains them with an attitude born of her own virtual life experiences.  

She also provides a wealth of information about each thought, including glossary definitions and links. For the curious, she graciously answers questions about herself and her life story, including her burgeoning career as a virtual rock star. 

A live-performance version of Ramona  (as Ray Kurzweil's female alter ego) debuted at the TED 2001 conference, where she entertained the audience with live music, a dance performance, and music videos via state-of-the-art motion-capture equipment, real-time photo-realistic animation, and sound-altering software.  Ramona's virtual life story and downloads of her music and videos are also available on KurzweilAI.net.

All About Ramona