See-Through Face Display: Enabling Gaze Communication for Any Face$\unicode{x2013}$Human or AI

Abstract: We present See-Through Face Display, an eye-contact display system designed to enhance gaze awareness in both human-to-human and human-to-avatar communication. The system addresses the limitations of existing gaze correction methods by combining a transparent display with a strategically positioned camera. The display alternates rapidly between a visible and transparent state, thereby enabling the camera to capture clear images of the user's face from behind the display. This configuration allows for mutual gaze awareness among remote participants without the necessity of a large form factor or computationally resource-intensive image processing. In comparison to conventional methodologies, See-Through Face Display offers a number of practical advantages. The system requires minimal physical space, operates with low computational overhead, and avoids the visual artifacts typically associated with software-based gaze redirection. These features render the system suitable for a variety of applications, including multi-party teleconferencing and remote customer service. Furthermore, the alignment of the camera's field of view with the displayed face position facilitates more natural gaze-based interactions with AI avatars. This paper presents the implementation of See-Through Face Display and examines its potential applications, demonstrating how this compact eye-contact system can enhance gaze communication in both human-to-human and human-AI interactions.