Our Method

The primary mission of Interactive Drama Inc. is to enhance learning through the magic of Virtual Conversations™ programs. IDI develops these interactive multimedia programs, which allow users to talk directly to virtual human characters in real-life situations. IDI seeks educational and social problems which can be solved using this "new generation" experiential learning method.

Our Technolgy

Virtual Conversations™ programs combine digital video and voice recognition technology to allow the user to engage in a dialogue with a virtual human subject using spoken language. IDI patented this process in 1991 (U.S. Patent #5,006,987).

Users conduct virtual dialogues with video subjects—real people—by speaking into a microphone attached to the computer. The user asks a question and the character responds, and a face-to-face dialogue ensues. The programs have an Intelligent Scrolling Prompts feature which provides relevant questions for the user to ask. Virtually everyone reports that the dialogue experience is “like talking to the real person.”

The believability and educational effectiveness of these programs have been established through field tests conducted at institutions of higher learning, both locally and nationally.

Virtual Conversations™ technology...it's like you're talking to the real person.

Our History

Since 1984, IDI has been designing, producing,
and using voice-activated interactive video
simulations for experiential learning. The founders
of IDI were associated with the National Library
of Medicine, which supported the early research
and development of the model and multimedia authoring
tool, now known as Conversim™, to produce Virtual Conversations™ programs.

The founders of IDI further developed the
model and, in 1991, were awarded U.S. Patent No.
5,006,987 to protect this unique method of dialogue
with a virtual human subject. Subsequently, IDI
developed a dynamic, intelligent prompting system to
help users conduct a focused and informative dialogue
with Virtual Conversations™ characters.
In 1997, U.S. Patent No. 5,730,603 was awarded to
protect the IDI prompting method.

Interactive Drama Inc., a closely held corporation in Bethesda, Maryland, has created interactive software that allows users to conduct the illusion of a conversation with video characters. Seated face-to-face before a person’s image on the screen of a computer, the user speaks and the person responds.

IDI’s proprietary software (Conversim®) is used to create interesting, meaningful and believable virtual dialogues with experts, heroes, and master teachers. Our purposes are to: 1) immortalize the personalities of significant people; 2) provide inspiration and motivation; and 3) promote accelerated and profound learning. Over 50 virtual dialogue programs with notable achievers have been created by IDI in these three domains.

Come in and learn about virtual dialogue, and browse our gallery of wonderful people who now, and forever, are available to you for direct, face-to-face conversation.

• The Arabic Series
• Medical Spanish
• Roberto's Restaurant

• Breast Health Information
• ECMO Therapy

• HIV/STD Risk Assessment Series
• Medical Triage
• Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
• Upper GI Endoscopy