Our company is a startup focused on helping language learning students mastering a new language primarily via voice enabled applications. Currently we work with various OpenAI APIs and just released a language learning partner, voice based assistant you can try for yourself at https://sunnydays.tech/#talk-to-kaki 

We are looking to develop a character to take a place in being a AI-powered language partner. The idea we're exploring is a friendly female (or feminine) character to be a language partner that talks to the user.

This work may involve:

• Research into existing language learning characters and their applications (Duolingo comes to mind) and similar app with mascots.
• Also explore modern AI-like amorphous characters, such as Siri / Google Gemini / OpenAI voice mode.
• Drafting 2 drafts of what the character may look like, to have 1 selected by the company
• Creating various poses that can be used by the company in the existing product

For reference we have used in prototyping this character that is an invariant animation for all situations https://sunnydays.tech/animation-portrait.gif

But this ended up being almost distracting with no engagement benefit. Ideally we'd have a character in a small portrait that can create connection and empathy with the user as they go through their lesson.

By the end of the project, students should complete the following list of activities:

• Present research into existing language learning characters and their applications
• Have 2 drafts of characters to be selected from
• Implement any modifications
• Develop in their final poses that can make animation (including transitions in between)
• 1. Active listening
• 2. Speaking/Explaining
• 3. Surprise
• 4. Celebration state
• 5. Winking (or other less common fun expressions)

Character portrait ideally comes in square ratio, with transparent background (.png), 280x280px (double px density for modern displays)