0/0/2/0

Intermediate-level programming skills in one of the following languages: C(++)/Java/Flash script/Python (or other OO language). Completion of a course on multimedia programming, multimedia systems or human computer interaction.

In doubt: contact lecturer!

Tamagotchis, Aibos and the virtual inhabitants of the computer game The Sims II can be seen as "artificial beings" with at least one important thing in common; they are designed to interact with humans in a natural way. One way to achieve this, most obvious in Aibos and The Sims, is to embed a Computational Model of Emotion in these artificial beings. The field of computing with emotion is called Affective Computing. Even the simple emotions of the Aibo dog and the inhabitants of the computer game The Sims are based upon theories of emotion. In this course you will learn to recognize different views on emotion, as well as how and why these views can be (have been / should be) used to develop computational models of emotion. We will discuss several existing models. You will yourself develop a system that makes use of Affective Computing techniques. Overall, this course will give you insights into the fun (gaming, robots) and glory (theoretical predictions) of affective computing.

Learn to identify different theories of emotion and how these can be used to develop computational models. Understand the different ways in which such computational models can be used in research and practice. Understand when and why affective computing is useful for real systems. Have the technical skill to develop an "emotional agent" (recognizing, generation and expression of emotion). Understand current limitations and challenges of Affective Computing.

Seminar:
2 hours of lectures per week.
Self-study of papers and potentially a book.
The papers will be made available at the start of the course.
If a book will be used, the title will be announced one month before the course starts.
Perform a piece of research (survey, research question, programming, testing) and write a paper about it.
Students will work in teams of about 3-4 persons!
The different teams will probably have research projects that relate to the projects of other teams. As such, active participation is a must! Others depend on you work.

papers and potentially a book.
The papers will be made available at the start of the course.
If a book will be used, the title will be announced one month before the course starts.

Participation in discussion during lectures.
Research outcome and effort as well as paper quality.
Knowlegde of material (each lecture starts with 2 questions on the material discussed in the previous lecture).