GPlacencia.com

Researchers working on the European Union-funded Psychologically Augmented Social Interaction Over Networks (PASION) project have tested several approaches for bringing non-verbal communication and context information into information and communication technology. One research partner examined cues for proximity and localization, another explored social feedback, and a third examined physiology and emotion among online poker players. Other efforts have explored different ways of assessing mood or context, including investigating facial expression analysis and physiological sensors that provide real-time feedback on a user's physiology. The Helsinki School of Economics developed tools to augment voice, text, and instant messaging with non-verbal communication for use by knowledge workers. Meanwhile, the University of Lincoln developed Familiars, an online social game that incorporates facial expression analysis, psycho-physiological data, and social indicators based on user interactions. The technology developed by PASION researchers could be used in a variety of applications that the researchers are still exploring. "How this will be used we can't say just yet, but we can say there are many applications, and while older people are perhaps a little bit hesitant about revealing their state of mind, young people and people who use social networking sites are very keen," says PASION's Richard Walker.

(from ACM TechNews)