{"id":76,"date":"2009-04-23T10:34:17","date_gmt":"2009-04-23T10:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/wordpress\/?p=76"},"modified":"2021-12-22T20:22:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T20:22:27","slug":"physiological-computing-faq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/?p=76","title":{"rendered":"Physiological Computing F.A.Q."},"content":{"rendered":"

This post is out of date, please see the dedicated FAQ page<\/a> for the latest revisions.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 What is physiological computing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Physiological Computing is a term used to describe any computing system that uses real-time physiological data as an input stream to control the user interface.\u00a0 A physiological computing system takes psychophysiological information from the user, such as heart rate or brain activity, and uses these data to make the software respond in real-time.\u00a0 The development of physiological computing is a multidisciplinary field of research involving contributions from psychology, neuroscience, engineering, & computer science.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 How does physiological computing work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Physiological computing systems collect physiological signals, analyse them in real-time and use this analysis as an input for computer control.\u00a0 This cycle of data collection, analysis, interpretation is encapsulated within a biocybernetic control loop.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This loop describes how eye movements may be captured and translated into up\/down and left\/right commands for cursor control.\u00a0 The same flow of information can be used to represent how changes in electrocortical activity (EEG) of the brain can be used to control the movement of an avatar in a virtual world or to activate\/deactivate system automation.\u00a0 With respect to an affective computing application, a change in physiological activity, such as increased blood pressure, may indicate higher levels of frustration and the system may respond with help information.\u00a0 The same cycle of collection-analysis-translation-response is apparent.\u00a0 Alternatively, physiological data may be logged and simply represented to the user or a medical professional; this kind of ambulatory monitoring doesn’t involve human-computer communication but is concerned with the enhancement of human-human interaction.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Give me some examples.<\/strong>
\nResearchers became interested in physiological computing in the 1990s.\u00a0 A group based at NASA developed a system that measured user engagement (whether the person was paying attention or not) using the electrical activity of the brain.\u00a0 This measure was used to control an autopilot facility during simulated flight deck operation.\u00a0 If the person was paying attention, they were allowed to use the autopilot; if attention lapsed, the autopilot was switched off – therefore, prompting the pilot into manual control in order to re-engage with the task.<\/p>\n

Physiological computing was also used by MIT Media Lab <\/a>during their investigations into affective computing<\/a>.\u00a0 These researchers were interested in how psychophysiological data could represent the emotional status of the user – and enable the computer to respond to user emotion.\u00a0 For example by offering help if the user was irritated by the system.<\/p>\n

Physiological computing has been applied to a range of software application and technologies, such as: robotics (making robots aware of the psychological status of their human co-workers), telemedicine (using physiological data to diagnose both health and psychological state), computer-based learning (monitoring the attention and emotions of the student) and computer games.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Is the Wii an example of physiological computing?<\/strong>
\nIn a way.\u00a0 The Wii monitors movement and translates that movement into a control input in the same way as a mouse.\u00a0 Physiological computing, as defined here, is quite different.\u00a0 First of all, these systems focus on hidden psychological states rather than obvious physical movements.\u00a0 Secondly, the user doesn\u2019t have to move or do anything to provide input to a physiological computing system.\u00a0 What physiological computing does is monitor \u201chidden\u201d aspects of behaviour.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 How is physiological computing different from Brain-Computer Interfaces?<\/strong>
\nBrain-Computer Interfaces (BCI)<\/a> are a category of system where the user self-regulates their physiology in order to provide input control to a computer system.\u00a0 For example, a user may self-regulate activity in the EEG (electroencelogram – electrical activity of the brain) in order to move a cursor on the computer screen.\u00a0 Effectively, BCIs offer an alternative to conventional input devices, such as the keyboard or mouse, which is particularly useful for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n

There is some overlap between physiological computing and BCIs, but also some important differences.\u00a0 The physiological computing approach has been compared to \u201cwiretapping\u201d in the sense that it monitors changes in user psychology without requiring the user to take explicit action.\u00a0 Use of a BCI is associated with intentional control and requires a period of training prior to use.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 OK.\u00a0 But the way you describe physiological computing sounds like a Biofeedback system\u2026.<\/strong>
\nThere is some crossover between the approach used by physiological computing and biofeedback<\/a> therapies.\u00a0 But like BCI, biofeedback is designed to help people self-regulate their physiological activity, i.e. to reduce the rate of breathing for those who suffer from panic attacks.\u00a0 There is some evidence that exposing a person to a physiological computing system may prompt improved self-regulation of physiology – simply because changes at the interface of a physiological computer may be meaningful to the user, i.e. if the computer does this, it means I\u2019m stressed and need to relax.<\/p>\n

The use of computer games to enhance biofeedback training represents the type of system that brings both physiological computing and biofeedback together.\u00a0 For example, systems have been developed to treat Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) where children are trained to control brain activity by playing a computer game – see this link<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0 Can I buy a physiological computer?<\/strong>
\nYou can buy systems that use psychophysiology for human-computer interaction.\u00a0 For example, a number of headsets are on the market that have been developed by Emotiv<\/a> and Neurosky<\/a> to be used as an alternative to a keyboard or mouse.\u00a0 At the moment, commercial systems fall mainly into the BCI application domain.\u00a0 There are also a number of biofeedback games that also fall into the category of physiological computing, such as The Wild Divine<\/a> .<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0 What do you need in order to create a physiological computer?<\/strong>
\nIn terms of hardware, you need psychophysiological sensors (such as a GSR sensor or heart rate monitoring apparatus or EEG electrodes) that are connected to an analogue-digital converter.\u00a0 These digital signals can be streamed to a computer via ethernet.\u00a0 On the software side, you need an API or equivalent to access the signals and you\u2019ll need to develop software that converts incoming physiological signals into a variable that can be used as a potential control input to an existing software package, such as a game.\u00a0 Of course, none of this is straightforward because you need to understand something about psycho-physiological associations (i.e. how changes in physiology can be interpreted in psychological terms) in order to make your system work.<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0 What is it like that I have experienced?<\/strong>
\nThat\u2019s hard to say because there isn\u2019t very much apparatus like this generally available.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve ever worn ECG sensors in either a clinical or sporting setting, you\u2019ll know what it\u2019s like to see your physiological activity \u201cmirrored\u201d in this way.\u00a0 That\u2019s one aspect.\u00a0 The closest equivalent is biofeedback, where physiological data is represented as a visual display or a sound in real-time, but biofeedback is relatively specialised and used mainly to treat clinical problems.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0 A lot of the technology involved sounds ‘medical’. Is this something hospitals would use?<\/strong>
\nThe sensor technology is widely used by medical professionals to diagnose physiological problems and to monitor physiological activity.\u00a0 Physiological computing represents an attempt to bring this technology to a more mainstream population by using the same monitoring technology to improve human-computer interaction.\u00a0 In order to do this, it\u2019s important to move the sensor technology from the static systems where the person is tethered by wires (as used by hospitals) to mobile, lightweight sensor apparatus that people can wear comfortably and unhindered as they work and play.<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0 Who is working on this stuff?<\/strong>
\nPhysiological computing is inherently multidisciplinary.\u00a0 The business of deciding which signals to use and how they represent the psychological state of the user is the domain of psychophysiology (i.e. inferring psychological significance from physiological signals).\u00a0 Real-time data analysis falls into the area of signal processing that can involve professionals with backgrounds in computing, mathematics and engineering.\u00a0 Designing wearable sensor apparatus capable of delivering good signals outside of the lab or clinical environment is of interest to people working in engineering and telemedicine.\u00a0 Deciding how to use psychophysiological signals to drive real-time adaptation is the domain of computer scientists, particularly those interested in human-computer interaction and human factors.<\/p>\n

12.\u00a0 What can a physiological computer allow me to do that is new?<\/strong>
\nPhysiological computing has the potential to offer a new scenario for how we communicate with computers.\u00a0 At the moment, human-computer communication is asymmetrical with respect to information exchange.\u00a0 Therefore, your computer can tell you lots of things about itself, such as: memory usage, download speed etc.\u00a0 But the computer is essentially in the dark about the person on the other side of the interaction.\u00a0 That\u2019s when the computer tries to \u2018second-guess\u2019 the next thing you want to do, it normally gets it wrong, e.g. the Microsoft paperclip.\u00a0 By allowing the computer to access a representation of the user state, we open up the possibility of symmetrical human-computer interaction – where \u2018smart\u2019 systems adapt themselves to user behaviour in a way that\u2019s both intuitive and timely.\u00a0 Therefore, in theory at least, we get help from the computer when we really need it.\u00a0 If the computer game is boring, the software knows to make the game more challenging.\u00a0 More than this, by making the computer aware of our internal state, we allow software to personalise its performance to that person with a degree of accuracy.<\/p>\n

13.\u00a0 Will these systems be able to read my mind?<\/strong>
\nPsychophysiological measures can provide an indication of a person\u2019s emotional status.\u00a0 For instance, it can measure whether you are alert or tired or whether you are relaxed or tense.\u00a0 There is some evidence that it can distinguish between positive and negative mood states.\u00a0 The same measures can also capture whether a person is mentally engaged with a task or not.\u00a0 Whether this counts as \u2018reading your mind\u2019 or not depends on your definition.\u00a0 The system would not be able to diagnose whether you were thinking about making a grilled cheese sandwich or a salad for lunch.<\/p>\n

14.\u00a0 What about the privacy of my data?<\/strong>
\nGood question.\u00a0 Physiological computing inevitably involves a sustained period of monitoring the user.\u00a0 This information is, by definition, highly sensitive.\u00a0 An intruder could monitor the ebb and flow of user mood over a period of time.\u00a0 If the intruder could access software activity as well as physiology, he or she could determine whether this web site or document elicited a certain reaction from the user or not.\u00a0 Most of us regard our unexpressed emotional responses as personal and private information.\u00a0 In addition, data collected via physiological computing could potentially be used to indicate medical conditions such as high blood pressure or heart arrhythmia.\u00a0 Privacy and data protection are huge issues for this kind of technology.\u00a0 It is important that the user exercises ultimate control with respect to: (1) what is being measured, (2) where it is being stored, and (3) who has access to that information.<\/p>\n

15.\u00a0 Where can I find out more?<\/strong>
\nThere are a number of written and online sources regarding physiological computing.\u00a0 Almost all have been written for an academic audience.\u00a0 Here are a number of review articles:<\/p>\n

Allanson, J. (2002, March 2002). Electrophysiologically interactive computer systems. IEEE Magazine.
\nFairclough, S. H. 2009. Fundamentals of physiological computing.\u00a0 Interacting with Computers, 21, 133-145.
\nGilleade, K. M., Dix, A., & Allanson, J. (2005). Affective videogames and modes of affective gaming: Assist me, challenge me, emote me. Paper presented at the Proceedings of DiGRA 2005.
\nPicard, R. W., & Klein, J. (2002). Computers that recognise and respond to user emotion: Theoretical and practical implications. Interacting With Computers, 14, 141-169.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post is out of date, please see the dedicated FAQ page for the latest revisions. 1.\u00a0 What is physiological computing? Physiological Computing is a term used to describe any computing system that uses real-time physiological data as an input stream to control the user interface.\u00a0 A physiological computing system takes psychophysiological information from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[9,18,19,28,40,59,61],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pY315-1e","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4760,"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions\/4760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.physiologicalcomputing.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}