The Affective Engineering and Computer Arts Lab (AECAL) makes various systems that work in cooperation with human feelings. The most critical part of this research is to identify a specific need, whether that be an application, a new system, or a feature of an existing system. Our research is about finding applicable solutions and investigating the whole process, from data collection to implementation. The main objective is to develop novel and practical solutions to issues that involve human senses, emotions, and sensibilities. Engineering of systems that use models of human feelings is called Affective Engineering or Kansei Engineering.
More about our research objectives.AECAL, the Affective Engineering and Computer Arts Laboratory, is located in the Creation Core Building of Ritsumeikan University's Biwako-Kusatsu Campus (BKC) near Kyoto City in western Japan. Our lab is a member of the Information System Science and Engineering Course in the university's College of Information Science and Engineering and the Human Information Science Course in the Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering.
Color support systems and intelligent palette interfaces for interactive design.
Kansei engineering for products, product lines, and interactive systems.
Haptic and tactile interactive systems for communication and interaction.
Novel applications of intelligent systems
Modeling of people's affect in education, security, and accessibility.
Computer arts research for visualization and exploration of innovative interactive systems.
Affective Engineering and Computer Arts Lab (AECAL) researches and develops models to infer human affective, emotional, or sensual responses and applies these models to specific objectives. When a person is exposed to a stimulus, the experience may be associated with quantifiable internal and external responses. Because the systems are developed to satisfy specific, practical objectives, the models applied range from statistical models to methods of soft computing and intelligent systems (also known as artificial intelligence, or AI). AECAL develops new methods to meet those needs.
There are many areas where affective responses are central to the functioning of essential systems. In security, for example, user feelings lead to behaviors that may either protect or endanger data, systems, and people. In education, how students feel has a direct influence on how they learn. In healthcare, patient affect influences recovery and improving how patients feel is also a major final goal. In these and other areas, intelligent systems are discovering novel solutions to problems once considered beyond the scope of engineering.
AECAL also applies affective engineering and intelligent systems to the arts. Computers have often been tools for the arts but, in every medium, intelligent systems are becoming full partners in the creation process. In the past, many developments for the computer arts have become technologies we use every day.