Prerequisites for Affective Signal Processing (ASP)

Although emotions are embraced by science, their recognition has not reached a satisfying level. Through a concise overview of affect, its signals, features, and classification methods, we provide understanding for the problems encountered. Next, we identify the prerequisites for successful Affective Signal Processing: validation (e.g., mapping of constructs on signals), triangulation, a physiology-driven approach, and contributions of the signal processing community. Using these directives, a critical analysis of a real-world case is provided. This illustrates that the prerequisites can become a valuable guide for Affective Signal Processing (ASP)

Prerequisites for Affective Signal Processing (ASP) - Part III

This is the third part in a series on prerequisites for affective signal processing (ASP). So far, six prerequisites were identified: validation (e.g., mapping of constructs on signals), triangulation, a physiology-driven approach, and contributions of the signal processing community (van den Broek et al., 2009) and identification of users and theoretical specification (van den Broek et al., 2010). Here, two additional prerequisites are identified: integration of biosignals, and physical characteristics

Prerequisites for Affective Signal Processing (ASP) - Part V: A response to comments and suggestions

In four papers, a set of eleven prerequisites for affective signal processing (ASP) were identified (van den Broek et al., 2010): validation, triangulation, a physiology-driven approach, contributions of the signal processing community, identification of users, theoretical specification, integration of biosignals, physical characteristics, historical perspective, temporal construction, and real-world baselines. Additionally, a review (in two parts) of affective computing was provided. Initiated by the reactions on these four papers, we now present: i) an extension of the review, ii) a post-hoc analysis based on the eleven prerequisites of Picard et al.(2001), and iii) a more detailed discussion and illustrations of temporal aspects with ASP

An introductory study of house spiders (Araneae) in Belgium

More than 800 spiders were collected in 43 houses heated in winter, distributed mainly in the northern part of Belgium. Information required for the collections to be eligible for the project was: address, construction year, type of house, and surroundings. The spiders were qualified as ‘house spiders’ or ‘garden spiders’. Of the 93 species collected, 19 could be defined as house spiders. Pholcus phalangioides was the most common, followed by Eratigena atrica and Steatoda triangulosa. Garden spiders enter the house much more often in houses in a rural environment than in those situated in clusters, and mainly in spring. The spiders are most common in autumn when many of them are breeding. The common house spiders colonize houses shortly after their construction

Sensators: active multisensory tangible user interfaces

Although Tangible User Interfaces are considered an intuitive means of human-computer interaction, they oftentimes lack the option to provide active feedback. We developed ‘Sensators’: generic shaped active tangibles to be used on a multi-touch table. Sensators can represent digital information by means of ‘Sensicons’: multimodal messages consisting of visual, auditory, and vibro- tactile cues. In our demonstration, we will present Sensators as suitable tools for research on multimodal perception in different tangible HCI tasks

Methodology to assess both the efficacy and ecotoxicology of preservative-treated and modified wood

Wood used in outdoor conditions out of ground contact is susceptible to weathering, inducing both fungal decay and leaching of components to the environment. This paper presents a methodology to determine these two parameters for untreated, preservative-treated and modified wood. Therefore, the wood was first leached and subsequently exposed to fungal decay of the most prominent wood-rotting fungi. The crustacean Daphnia magna was exposed to the leachates to provide information on their impact on the environment. Combining both parameters reveals that preservative-treated wood and modified wood are capable of protecting the wood adequately for application under use class 3 conditions without posing a threat to the environment. This proves the suitability of the concept of combining efficacy and ecotoxicology for the evaluation of new types of wood treatments

Subjective User Experience and Performance with Active Tangibles on a Tabletop Interfaces

We developed active tangibles (Sensators) that can be used in combination with multitouch tabletops and that can provide multisensory (visual, auditory, and vibrotactile) feedback. For spatial alignment and rotation tasks we measured subjective user experience and objective performance with these Sensators. We found that active feedback increased accuracy in both tasks, for all feedback modalities. Active visual feedback yielded the highest overall subjective user experience and preference scores. Our contribution is that active feedback improves subjectively perceived performance and reduces perceived mental workload. Additionally, our findings indicate that users prefer to be guided by visual signs over auditory and vibrotactile signs

Guidelines for Mobile Emotion Measurement

ABSTRACT Mobile emotion measurement (MEM) through physiological signals is a promising tool for both experiments and application. We provide 1) an overview of unobtrusive physiological sensors and 2) a review of studies that have tried to infer emotions from physiological signals. This review shows that there is a lack of general standards, low accuracy, and a doubtful validity of the results. To overcome these problems, we provide three guidelines for future research on MEM: validation, triangulation, and a physiology-driven approach. These guidelines enable the embedding of MEM in various professional and consumer settings, as a key factor in our every day life