Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Virtual Agent for Real-Time Motivational Interviewing by Integrating Adaptive Nonverbal Behavior and Language Models
Published on: December 23, 2025
Participatory medicine: model based tools for engaging and empowering the individual
Mark Sagar1, Elizabeth Broadbent2
1Laboratory for Animate Technologies, Auckland Bioengineering Institute , University of Auckland , New Zealand.
Abstract:
The long-term goal of the Virtual Physiological Human and Digital Patient projects is to run 'simulations' of health and disease processes on the virtual or 'digital' patient, and use the results to make predictions about real health and determine the best treatment specifically for an individual. This is termed 'personalized medicine', and is intended to be the future of healthcare. How will people interact and engage with their virtual selves, and how can virtual models be used to motivate people to actively participate in their own healthcare? We discuss these questions, and describe our current efforts to integrate and realistically embody psychobiological models of face-to-face interaction to enliven and increase engagement of virtual humans in healthcare. Overall, this paper highlights the need for attention to the design of human-machine interfaces to address patient engagement in healthcare.
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