Affective Wearable Sensors CDRMarch 8th , 2004Authored By:Daniel BishopJosh HandleyPhillip HayChristina HernandezRosy LogioiaGouri ShintriClay SmithAdam StevensonTable of ContentsI. Project Information..........................................................................................................3II. Design Constraints..........................................................................................................6A. Sensor Constraints..........................................................................................................6Size.......................................................................................................................................8Time..................................................................................................................................... 8Component Availability.......................................................................................................9Power................................................................................................................................... 9462 Considerations.............................................................................................................10C. Software Design Constraints........................................................................................10III. Alternate Solutions Considered ..................................................................................11Sensor Alternatives............................................................................................................ 11Hardware Alternatives....................................................................................................... 11Software Alternatives.........................................................................................................12IV. Proposed Design........................................................................................................ 13Sensor Design.................................................................................................................... 13Software Design.................................................................................................................20V. Updated Validated Testing Procedures........................................................................22Sensor Testing Procedures ................................................................................................22VI. Updated Schedule....................................................................................................... 24Sensors............................................................................................................................... 26Hardware............................................................................................................................26VIII. Brief Review of Engineering Standards................................................................... 28I. Project InformationProject BackgroundWearable computers and affective computing is becoming one of the most interesting andcomplicated topics of computer human interaction. It involves various fields of study,such as computer science, psychology and physiology. Even though the literature on thesubject is still at its primal stages, many projects are underway to discover the linkbetween psychological states and physiological responses of the human body. The goal of affective computing is to decipher if our brain processes an emotion beforethe physiological response or vice versa and therefore we are searching to determine if theemotion is experienced before the physiological change or if the physiological response istranslated into an emotion by the brain. Psychologists first looked into the subject andmany clashing theories were formulated. Recently, computer scientists added themselves to the mix when they needed to createapplications to measure the physiological changes in a body. At first, they borrowedinstruments like electromyograms and respiratory sensors from the medical community,due to their size, but over time through collaboration, smaller sensors have beendeveloped that can be worn outside of a medical laboratory. Today, a person cansimultaneously wear multiple sensors throughout the day to monitor their physiologicalactivity.Today, new problems including wearability plague scientists. Historically, the use ofphysiological sensors has been confined to a lab setting since the subjects are usuallycovered with multiple wires to register every little change that occurs within their bodieswhile they are performing a series of psychological and physiological tasks. This limitsthe amount of data that can be collected for data can only be collected while the subject ispresent. Therefore, for affective sensor experiments to be expanded and for theirusefulness to increase, the need arises for less intrusive equipment. Wearable computing is working toward solving this problem by allowing the user tomonitor their physiological responses away from a medical facility by wearing a device togather data throughout the user’s daily activities. These computers are designed so thatthey can be continuously worn outside of a lab setting while not hampering a person’smobility. When combined with affective sensors, physiological data can be collectedthroughout the day continuously. Affective wearables are unlike portables for they areworn, not carried, and are usually in direct physical contact with the wearer, possibly in along term intimate way. The devices are similar in regard to ambulatory medical devices,for both monitor the body’s physiological responses. They can be connected to a belt,reside in your clothing, or be formed into jewelry to provide an alternative interfacebeyond the traditional keyboard and mouse paradigm to track increasingly importantstatistics like stress, pulse, and the body’s oxygen levels throughout a persons dailyactivities. For example, airplane pilots need to keep track of there oxygen levels whenflying in non pressurized aircraft as do athletes to determine whether they are doingaerobic or anaerobic exercise. Keeping track of ones pulse would benefit anyone workingout as well as anyone who needs to track their daily stress levels.To date, most affective wearables have been bulky, and are not convenient to wear. Mostpulse oximeters attach to a finger, and either have wires going