SPAR
I worked as an Unreal developer to build an AI-powered digital avatar using technologies like Unreal's Metahuman and pixelstreaming
Medium Article by the founderIntroduction
As advancements in technology and AI reshaped the business landscape, the need for a new approach to workforce training became clear. In response, SPAR was founded in 2023 with a mission to redefine how customer-facing employees grow, learn, and succeed.
Project Overview
The goal was to use the Unreal Engine's MetaHuman Technology and AI to create a realistic conversational experience. The unreal app would be hosted in the cloud and streamed via Pixel Streaming into a React Web App, providing an interactive experience similar to Zoom or Microsoft Teams. After each conversation, or should I say 'Spar' 😉, the AI stepped in, analyzing performance and offering targeted insights for improvement.
My role focused on developing the experience within Unreal Engine, while also contributing to the full-stack web development to ensure that the Unreal and the Web applications were integrated seamlessly.
Improving the experience
Just animating the mouth wasn't enough. To make the Metahuman avatars feel more natural and engaging, I implemented additional enhancements like:
- Subtle body and hand movements
- Dynamic Facial Expressions and Body Language to signify emotions like Angry, Happy, Joy, Satisfied, etc.
- Multiple animation states like Idle, Listening and Talking expressed by animations like head-shake, nodding etc.
Project in Action
The AI still needs a bit of fine-tuning—it’s got more attitude than accuracy—but the Unreal to Web pixel streaming, Metahuman switching at runtime, and facial expressions are all working fine. Hover over the video and Press Play to watch the it in action.
Project outcomes
The startup won 3rd place at AI Everything 2025 in Dubai, generated $10,000 in sales within its first year, and was accepted into the NVIDIA Inception incubation program.
To learn more about the project you can open up my article here or at medium. You can also read the article by the founder Henry Obegi.