Project EMAR

February 24, 2017

How Will EMAR Recognize Emotion?

emar

Even though winter quarter is coming to an end soon, the project’s momentum is thriving. We currently have another test date scheduled before the end. The research team is exploring scale bars for EMAR. These scale bars would reflect the stress levels the participants are feel. The technology team is building a low-fidelity prototype of V3 of EMAR, so they can gather data soon. 

The research team has worked on three diferent options for a scale bar. Prototype pictured above.

Research Team’s User Interface Options

They have been searching for a facial coding system so that EMAR will be able to recognize basic emotion responses from teens. First, they looked at Facial Action Coding Systems (FACS). This coding system would allow EMAR to be programmed with almost any emotion response a human makes. Another system they looked at was Facial Expression Coding System (FACES). This system is similar to FACS, yet it would allow members to program EMAR to distinguish whether the facial expressions are positive or negative. However, the team members learned that both the FACS and FACES are too long to learn, and are  looking for systems that have less of a learning curve.

 

Tech Team’s Low-Fidelity Model

The technology team has worked on prototyping low-fidelity model; they want to produce something simple so they can gather results sooner. Since this is a collaborative design, the computing team members are waiting for the final design from the research team in order to finish V3’s prototype.

They have been busy working on the front-end for V3. The platform the members decided on, Raspberry Pi, has arrived for V3. They are setting up the new Raspberry Pi and plan on connecting it to the display. They’re also busy getting it ready to accept the code they have come up with. The UI will need to communicate with the hardware.

As for the back end part of the design, tech team members are waiting on the the UI and neopixel integration so that they may glue the two together. They’re also researching ways to make linux boot, another operating system that is essential to run other programs, seamlessly into “EMAR”.

A quick view of the mechanics going into EMAR.