LONDON - If you've tried to give up smoking but don't have the
willpower or are too embarrassed to seek help, Dutch researchers may have the
answer.
They are developing a virtual coach to provide smokers with round-the-clock
reinforcement to help them kick the habit.
"Shrouded in the anonymity provided by the Internet, smokers can log on
to a Web site and type questions and confessions into a chat box," New
Scientist magazine said on Wednesday.
The virtual coach, being designed by Betsy van Dijk and researchers at the
University of Twente in Enschede and the Dutch anti-smoking group Stivoro, will
give advice and encouragement at all hours.
The concept has already been used successfully in the United States to
encourage elderly people to exercise more, according to the magazine.
The female autoresponder will be programmed to have human characteristics and
will respond with answers and facial expressions used by Stivoro's human
counsellors.
If the virtual coach proves a success, the researchers may extend it to help
alcoholics and people trying to overcome phobias.