At the end of March 2009, an upgraded version of Grand Odyssey will be unveiled at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo. The new production will feature CG characters that mimic not only visitors' facial expressions but how they walk, their voices, and other individual traits. Another interactive exhibition featuring these technologies was a big hit. When you try making an anime voice at the exhibit, you realize just how difficult it is to create a voice for an animated film. The point is to speak in a cool voice, but it's really hard to master! In the "age change" part of the exhibit, meanwhile, a computer lets you see how your face would look if you were a different age.

These technologies enable people to take on a new identity, at least for a short time. As well as being fun, they offer a way to better understand how it feels to be somebody else.

(Updated in February 2009)