iFeel_IM! Affective Haptics in Emotional Communication

iFeel_IM! (intelligent system for Feeling enhancement powered by affect sensitive Instant Messenger) reinforces (intensifies) own feelings and reproduces (simulates) the emotions felt by the partner during online communication. The core component, Affect Analysis Model, automatically recognizes nine emotions from text, which then are displayed by the facial expression of Second Life avatar and the EmoHeart object attached to avatar's chest. Four out of nine emotions (namely, 'joy', 'anger', 'fear', and 'sadness') are stimulated by innovative affective haptic devices integrated into iFeel_IM!. The implemented system can considerably enhance emotionally immersive experience of real-time messaging. We also consider the system as the world first wearable robot that provides feelings of co-presence and intensifies our emotions through the sense of touch.
Developers: Dr. Dzmitry Tsetserukou and PhD candidate Alena Neviarouskaya, University of Tokyo

Webpage: http://tachilab.org/modules/projects/affectivehaptics.html
EmoHeart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TZ_74_LywE
Publications: http://tachilab.org/modules/publications/intconf.html

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Affective haptics
• haptic and tactile displays
• emotional communication
• wearable emotional robot
• sense of touch
• affective user interfaces
• Second Life
• EmoHeart

[ALMN8U]

get some real friends and hug them ffs

[GTI8855]

Looks really boring.

[c33royal]

Ignore the naysayers, this is an amazing technology and intersting research.

Yes, we do not want to replace the real with virtual. But the virtual allows us to connect to people that we geographically cannot interact with. And, haptic technologies allow us to use more of our senses when doing so.

[Tsetserukou]

@Barasuisyou19

Thank you! Actually, you have got the main idea. This system is designed not only to communicate emotions through Internet but also to augment the communications of people with disabilities (blindness, autism, ALS, etc.). Another possible applications are: treating depression and anxiety (problematic emotional states), controlling and modulating moods on the basis of physiological signals, affective and collaborative games, and psychological testing.

[heyrosalie]

lmao

[Bl4ckRon1n]

Interesting technology, but gay as hell.

Just get a real person to hug you. At least you feel some warmth and some real arms instead of some straps that tighten around you.

[Bl4ckRon1n]

Cool technology, but Second Life is fucking gay.

I prefer the suit where you feel the bullet impacts though. Feeling "comforting" hands through a suit will always feel too fake to enjoy.

[YoussefS]

that dude is such a dork

[jeremystalked]

What happens if you use this technology to befriend an avatar, maybe even fall in love with it, and you discover that its operator is a software "bot" programmed to befriend you and try to sell you stuff?

[legomaniacman]

I would still be squeezed by a machine, which is creepy in its own way.

[CDConverse2010]

lmao