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# Stephen Fairclough

Research Website & Personal Blog

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Ambulatory Psychophysiology and Temporal Perception](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2022/08/ambulatory-psychophysiology-and-temporal-perception/) - I’ve been working as ‘psychophysiologist for hire’ on a project with my LJMU psychology colleague Ruth Ogden. We just published our first paper from this project, together with our collaborators, Chelsea Dobbins (University of Queensland), Jason McIntyre (also LJMU Psychology) and Kate Slade (University of Lancaster). With one thing or another, the paper was in
- [Neuroadaptive Technology Conference 2022](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2022/06/neuroadaptive-technology-conference-2022/) - The third conference on Neuroadaptive Technology (NAT’23) is scheduled to take place later this year, on October 10th-12th to be precise. Thanks to the pandemic, it’s been almost three years since our last event in Liverpool, the proceedings of which were published at the end of last year. Because of the enforced break, my co-organiser
- [Current Research In Neuroadaptive Technology](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2021/11/current-research-in-neuroadaptive-technology/) - A collection of chapters and abstracts from both 2017 and 2019 Neuroadaptive Technology conferences were published last week by Elsevier, edited by myself and Thorsten Zander. You can find full details about the content of the book directly from the Elsevier website here. I've reproduced the preface from the collection below to give a sense
- [Mental Workload, Attention and Limits on Human Cognition](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2020/06/mental-workload-attention-and-limits-on-human-cognition/) - I recently co-authored this paper on mental workload with colleagues at ISAE-AERO from Toulouse. Frederic Dehais invited me to contribute to a paper that he had under development, which was based around the diagram you can see above this post. I was very happy to be involved and have an opportunity to mull over
- [How do Computer Games Distract People from Pain?](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2020/03/how-do-computer-games-distract-people-from-pain/) - Medical professionals know that distraction is an effective way to distract the patient from a painful procedure, especially when the patient is a child. As a result, there is a lot of work devoted to understanding how technology can distract from pain, particularly using VR in the clinic. The basic idea here is that
- [Neuroadaptive Technology Conference 2019](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2019/02/neuroadaptive-technology-conference-2019/) - The international conference on Neuroadaptive Technology will be held on the 16-18th July 2019 in Liverpool. This will be the second meeting on this topic, the first took place in Berlin two years ago. You'll find a link at the top of this page for the schedule, registration costs and other details about the
- [episode 3 of the mind machine is here](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2019/01/episode-3-of-the-mind-machine-is-here/) - In this third episode of the podcast, I talk to Prof. Wendy Rogers from the University of Illinois about her work as Director of the Human Factors and Aging Laboratory. Our conversation took place in October 2018 and we talk about designing technology to support everyday activities of older adults. Wendy's work covers a
- [episode 2 of the mind machine now available](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2018/11/episode-2-of-the-mind-machine-now-available/) - My conversation with Dr. Alan Pope is now available from the Podcast link at the top of this page. Alan's seminal work on the biocybernetic loop was a key inspiration for developing a concept of physiological computing. He was probably the first person to take measures from the brain and body and use them in
- [announcing the mind machine podcast](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2018/10/announcing-the-mind-machine-podcast/) - I first got the idea to do a podcast back in the early part of the year. Like many other academics, I enjoy the informal conversations that often happen over coffee and in the bar during a conference or meeting - and I wanted to capture those sorts of exchanges whilst giving people a chance
- [The Log Roll of Intelligent Adaptation](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2017/12/the-log-roll-of-intelligent-adaptation/) - I originally coined the term ‘physiological computing’ to describe a whole class of emerging technologies constructed around closed-loop control. These technologies collected implicit measures from the brain and body of the user, which informed a process of intelligent adaptation at the user interface. If you survey research in this field, from mental workload monitoring to
- [Intelligent Wearables](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2017/11/intelligent-wearables/) - Accuracy is fundamental to the process of scientific measurement, we expect our gizmos and sensors to deliver data that is both robust and precise. If accurate data are available, reliable inferences can be made about whatever you happen to be measuring, these inferences inform understanding and prediction of future events. But absence of accuracy is
- [Neuroadaptive Technology as Symmetrical Human-Computer Interaction](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2017/03/neuroadaptive-technology-as-symmetrical-human-computer-interaction/) - Back in 2003, Lawrence Hettinger and colleagues penned this paper on the topic of neuroadaptive interface technology. This concept described a closed-loop system where fluctuations in cognitive activity or emotional state informs the functional characteristics of an interface. The core concept sits comfortably with a host of closed-loop technologies in the domain of physiological computing.
- [Funded PhD studentship on Physiological Computing and VR](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2017/01/funded-phd-studentship-on-physiological-computing-and-vr/) - The School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, in partnership with the Department of Computer Science and General Engineering Research Institute, are working on adaptive technologies in the area of physiological computing. This studentship is co-funded by Emteq Ltd: emteq.net Applications are invited for a three-year full studentship in this field of research. The studentship includes
- [Neuroadaptive Technology Conference 2017](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2016/11/neuroadaptive-technology-conference-2017/) - The first Neuroadaptive Technology Conference will take place in Berlin on the 19th-21st July 2017. Details will appear at the conference website. Authors are invited to submit abstracts by the 13th March 2017 at the conference website.
- [IEEE Computer Special Issue on Physiological Computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2015/11/ieee-computer-special-issue-on-physiological-computing/) - The October 2015 edition of IEEE Computer magazine is devoted to the topic of Physiological Computing. Giulio Jacucci, myself and Erin Solovey acted as co-editors and the introduction for the magazine is available here. The paper included in the special issue cover a range of topics, including: measurement of stress in VR, combining pupilometry with
- [Special Issue of Interacting with Computers](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2015/08/special-issue-of-interacting-with-computers/) - I am one of the co-editors of a special issue of the Interacting With Computers, which is now available online here. The title for the special issue is Physiological Computing for Intelligent Adaptation, it contains five full research papers covering a range of topics such as: use of VR for stress reduction, mental workload
- [Neurofeedback and the Attentive Brain](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2015/05/neurofeedback-and-the-attentive-brain/) - The act of paying attention or sustaining concentration is a good example of everyday cognition. We all know the difference between an attentive state of being, when we are utterly focused and seem to absorb every 'bit' of information, and the diffuse experience of mind-wandering where consciousness flits from one random topic to the next. Understanding this
- [We Need To Talk About Clippy](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2015/03/we-need-to-talk-about-clippy/) - Everyone who used MS Office between 1997 and 2003 remembers Clippy. He was a help avatar designed to interact with the user in a way that was both personable and predictive. He was a friendly sales assistant combined with a butler who anticipated all your needs. At least, that was the idea. In reality, Clippy fell
- [Can Physiological Computing Create Smart Technology?](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2015/03/can-physiological-computing-create-smart-technology/) - The phrase "smart technology" has been around for a long time. We have smart phones and smart televisions with functional capability that is massively enhanced by internet connectivity. We also talk about smart homes that scale up into smart cities. This hybrid between technology and the built environment promotes connectivity but with an additional twist - smart spaces monitor activity within their confines
- [What's The Deal With Brain-to-Brain Interfaces?](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2015/02/whats-the-deal-with-brain-to-brain-interfaces/) - When I first heard the term 'brain-to-brain interfaces', my knee-jerk response was - don't we already have those? Didn't we used to call them people? But sarcasm aside, it was clear that a new variety of BCI technology had arrived, complete with its own corporate acronym 'B2B.' For those new to the topic, brain-to-brain interfaces represent an amalgamation
- [Forum for the Community for Passive BCI](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2014/05/forum-for-the-community-for-passive-bci/) - A quick post to alert people to the first forum for the Community for Passive BCI Research that take place from the 16th to the 18th of July at the Hanse Institute for Advanced Study in Delmenhorst, near Bremen, Germany. This event is being organised by Thorsten Zander from the Berlin Institute of Technology.The main aim
- [Book Announcement - Advances in Physiological Computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2014/02/advances-in-physiological-computing/) - It was way back in 2011 during our CHI workshop that we first discussed the possibility of putting together an edited collection for Springer on the topic of physiological computing. It was clear to me at that time that many people associated physiological computing with implicit monitoring as opposed the active control that characterised BCI.
- [Reflections on first International Conference on Physiological Computing Systems](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2014/01/reflections-on-first-international-conference-on-physiological-computing-systems/) - Last week I attended the first international conference on physiological computing held in Lisbon. Before commenting on the conference, it should be noted that I was one of the program co-chairs, so I am not completely objective - but as this was something of a watershed event for research in this area, I didn't want
- [What kind of Meaningful Interaction would you like to have? Pt 1](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2013/11/what-kind-of-meaningful-interaction-would-you-like-to-have-pt-1/) - A couple of years ago we organised this CHI workshop on meaningful interaction in physiological computing. As much as I felt this was an important area for investigation, I also found the topic very hard to get a handle on. I recently revisited this problem in working on a co-authored book chapter with Kiel on
- [The Epoc and Your Next Job Interview](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2013/08/the-epoc-and-your-next-job-interview/) - Imagine you are waiting to be interviewed for a job that you really want. You'd probably be nervous, fingers drumming the table, eyes restlessly staring around the room. The door opens and a man appears, he is wearing a lab coat and he is holding an EEG headset in both hands. He places the set
- [Redundancy, Enhancement and the Purpose of Physiological Computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2013/08/redundancy-enhancement-and-the-purpose-of-physiological-computing/) - There has been a lot of tweets and blogs devoted to an article written recently by Don Norman for the MIT Technology Review on wearable computing. The original article is here, but in summary, Norman points to an underlying paradox surrounding Google Glass etc. In the first instance, these technological artifacts are designed to enhance
- [Comfort and Comparative Performance of the Emotiv EPOC](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2013/07/comfort-and-comparative-performance-of-the-emotiv-epoc/) - I've written a couple of posts about the Emotiv EPOC over the years of doing the blog, from user interface issues in this post and the uncertainties surrounding the device for customers and researchers here. The good news is that research is starting to emerge where the EPOC has been systematically compared to other devices
- [Data Trading, Body Snooping & Insight from Physiological Data](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2013/07/data-trading-body-snooping-insight-from-physiological-data/) - If there are two truisms in the area of physiological computing, they are: (1) people will always produce physiological data and (2) these data are continuously available. The passive nature of physiological monitoring and the relatively high fidelity of data that can be obtained is one reason why we're seeing physiology and psychophysiology as
- [Big Physiological Data](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2013/06/big-physiological-data/) - I attended a short conference event organised by the CEEDs project earlier this month entitled "Making Sense of Big Data." CEEDS is an EU-funded project under the Future and Emerging Technology (FET) Initiative. The project is concerned with the development of novel technologies to support human experience. The event took place at the Google Campus
- [First International Conference on Physiological Computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2013/06/first-international-conference-on-physiological-computing/) - If there is a problem for academics working in the area of physiological computing, it can sometimes be a problem finding the right place to publish. By the right place, I mean a forum that is receptive to multidisciplinary research and where you feel confident that you can reach the right audience. Having done a
- [Manifest.AR: Invisible ARtaffects](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2013/06/manifest-ar-invisible-artaffects/) - First of all, apologies for our blog "sabbatical" - the important thing is that we are now back with news of our latest research collaboration involving FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) and international artists' collective Manifest.AR. To quickly recap, our colleagues at FACT were keen to create a new commission tapping into the
- [Deadline extension for BCI Grand Challenge at ICMI 2012](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2012/06/bci-grand-challenge-at-icmi-2012/) - I am one of the organisers for a workshop event at ICMI 2012 entitled "BCI Grand Challenges." The deadline for submissions was this coming Friday (15th) but has now been extended until the 30th June. Full details are below. ------------------------------------------ Where and what? ------------------------------------------ We have a call for papers for a Grand Challenge on
- [Troubleshooting and Mind-Reading: Developing EEG-based interaction with commercial systems](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2012/06/troubleshooting-and-mind-reading-developing-eeg-based-interaction-with-commercial-systems/) - With regards to the development of physiological computing systems, whether they are BCI applications or fall into the category of affective computing, there seems (to me) to be two distinct types of research community at work. The first (and oldest) community are university-based academics, like myself, doing basic research on measures, methods and prototypes with
- [Reflections on Body Lab](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2012/05/reflections-on-body-lab/) - Way back in February, Kiel and I did an event called Body Lab in conjunction with our LJMU colleagues at OpenLabs. The idea for this event originated in a series of conversations between ourselves and OpenLabs about our mutual interest in digital health. The brief of OpenLabs is to "support local creative technology companies to
- [BCI, biocybernetic control and gaming](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/12/bci-biocybernetic-control-and-gaming/) - Way back in 2008, I was due to go to Florence to present at a workshop on affective BCI as part of CHI. In the event, I was ill that morning and missed the trip and the workshop. As I'd prepared the presentation, I made a podcast for sharing with the workshop attendees. I dug
- [Mood and Music: effects of music on driver anger](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/11/mood-and-music-effects-of-music-on-driver-anger/) - [iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/32915393"] Last month I gave a presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society held at Leeds University in the UK. I stood on the podium and presented the work, but really the people who deserve most of the credit are Marjolein van der Zwaag (from Philips Research
- [REFLECT Project Promo Video](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/11/reflect-project-promo-video/) - [iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25081038"] Some months ago, I wrote this post about the REFLECT project that we participated in for the last three years. In short, the REFLECT project was concerned with research and development of three different kinds of biocybernetic loops: (1) detection of emotion, (2) diagnosis of mental workload, and (3) assessment of
- [Lifestreams, body blogging and sousveillance](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/11/lifestreams-body-blogging-and-sousveillance/) - Way back in June, I planned to write a post prompted by Kevin Kelly's talk at the Quantified Self conference in May and a new word I'd heard in an interview with David Brin. Between then and now, the summer months have whipped by, so please excuse the backtracking - those of you who
- [Physiological Computing, Challenges for Developers and Users.](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/08/physiological-computing-challenges-for-developers-and-users/) - I recently received a questionnaire from the European Parliament, or rather its STOA panel with respect to developments in physiological computing and implications for social policy. The European Technology Assessment Group (ETAG) is working on a study with the title "Making Perfect Life" which includes a section on biocybernetic adaptation as well as BCI as other kinds of
- [Biometrics and evaluation of gaming experience part two: a thought experiment](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/07/biometrics-and-evaluation-of-gaming-experience-part-two-a-thought-experiment/) - Recent posts on the blog have concerned the topic of psychophysiology (or biometrics) and the evaluation of player experience. Based on those posts and the comments that followed, I decided to do a thought experiment. Imagine that I work for a big software house who want to sell as many games as possible and ensure
- [Biometrics, Game Evaluation and User XP:  Approach with caution](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/06/biometrics-game-evaluation-and-user-xp-approach-with-caution/) - This post represents some thoughts on the use of psychophysiology to evaluate the player experience during a computer game. As such, it's tangential to the main business of this blog, but it's a topic that I think is worth some discussion and debate, as it raises a whole bunch of pertinent issues for the design
- [CFP - Special Session at ICMI 2011 "BCI and Multimodality"](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/05/cfp-special-session-at-icmi-2011-bci-and-multimodality/) - The deadline for submissions to this special session has been extended to May 20th Anton Nijholt from University of Twente and Rob Jacob from Tufts University are organizing a special session at ICMI 2011 on "BCI and Multimodality". All ICMI sessions, including the special sessions, are plenary. Hence, having a special session during the ICMI
- [CFP - 2nd Workshop on Affective Brain-Computer Interfaces (aBCI)](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/05/cfp-2nd-workshop-on-affective-brain-computer-interfaces-abci-workshop-at-acii-2011/) - Workshop at ACII 2011 http://hmi.ewi.utwente.nl/abci2011 http://www.acii2011.org The second workshop on affective brain-computer interfaces will explore the advantages and limitations of using neuro-physiological signals as a modality for the automatic recognition of affective and cognitive states, and the possibilities of using this information about the user state in innovative and adaptive applications. The goal is to
- [REFLECT: Biocybernetic control with multiple loops](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/05/reflect-biocybernetic-control-with-multiple-loops/) - It has been said that every cloud has a silver lining and the only positive from chronic jet lag (Kiel and I arrived in Vancouver yesterday for the CHI workshop) is that it does give you a chance to catch up with overdue tasks. This is a post I'd been meaning to write for several
- [The Ultimate Relax to Win Dynamic](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/03/the-ultimate-relax-to-win-dynamic/) - I came across an article in a Sunday newspaper a couple of weeks ago about an artist called xxxy who has created an installation using a BCI of sorts. I'm piecing this together from what I read in the paper and what I could see on his site, but the general idea is this: person
- [Physiological Computing meets Augmented Reality in a Museum](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/03/physiological-computing-meets-augmented-reality-in-a-museum/) - First of all, an apology - Kiel and I try to keep this blog ticking over, but for most of 2011, we've been preoccupied with a couple of large projects and getting things organised for the CHI workshop in May. One of the "things" that led to this hiatus on the blog is a new
- [Road rage, unhealthy emotions and affective computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/01/road-rage-unhealthy-emotions-and-affective-computing/) - From the point of view of an outsider, the utility and value of computer technology that provides emotional feedback to the human operator is questionable. The basic argument normally goes like this: even if the technology works, do I really need a machine to tell me that I'm happy or angry or calm or anxious
- [Studentships in Physiological Computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2011/01/studentships-in-physiological-computing-2/) - Applications are invited for two PhD studentships in the School of Natural Sciences and Psychology. The studentships consist of a tax-free stipend (currently £13,590 per annum for the 2010-2011 academic year) and tuition fees. We seek candidates with a strong research background and interest in physiological computing research (http://www.physiologicalcomputing.net/) for a new research project funded by the EU.
- [Emotiv EPOC and the triple dilemma of early adoption](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/12/emotiv-epoc-and-the-triple-dilemma-of-early-adoption/) - The UK version of Wired magazine ran an article in last month's edition (no online version available) about Emotiv and the development of the EPOC headset. Much of the article focused on the human side of the story, the writer mixed biographical details of company founders with how the ideas driving the development of the
- [Revised Physiological Computing FAQ](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/11/revised-physiological-computing-faq/) - This is a short post to inform regular readers that I've made some changes to the FAQ document for the site (link to the left). Normally people alter the FAQ because the types of popular questions have changed. In our case, it is my answers to those questions that have changed in the time since
- [Physiological Computing: increased self-awareness or the fast track to a divided ego?](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/11/physiological-computing-increased-self-awareness-or-the-fast-track-to-a-divided-ego/) - In last week's excellent Bad Science article from The Guardian, Ben Goldacre puts his finger on a topic that I think is particularly relevant for physiological computing systems. He quotes press reports about MRI research into "hypoactive sexual desire response" - no, I hadn't heard of it either, it's a condition where the person has
- [Valve experimenting with physiological input for games](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/10/valve-experimenting-with-physiological-input-for-games/) - This recent interview with Gabe Newell of Valve caught our interest because it's so rare that a game developer talks publicly about the potential of physiological computing to enhance the experience of gamers. The idea of using live physiological data feeds in order to adapt computer games and enhance game play was first floated by
- [Mobile Monitors and Apps for Physiological Computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/09/mobile-monitors-and-apps-for-physiological-computing/) - I always harbored two assumptions about the development of physiological computing systems that have only become apparent (to me at least) as technological innovation seems to contradict them. First of all, I thought nascent forms of physiological computing systems would be developed for desktop system where the user stays in a stationary and more-or-less sedentary
- [Functional vocabulary: an issue for Emotiv and Brain-Computer Interfaces](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/08/functional-vocabulary-an-issue-for-emotiv-and-brain-computer-interfaces/) - The Emotiv system is a EEG headset designed for the development of brain-computer interfaces. It uses 12 dry electrodes (i.e. no gel necessary), communicates wirelessly with a PC and comes with a range of development software to create applications and interfaces. If you watch this 10min video from TEDGlobal, you get a good overview of
- [Better living through affective computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/07/better-living-through-affective-computing/) - I recently read a paper by Rosalind Picard entitled "emotion research for the people, by the people." In this article, Prof. Picard has some fun contrasting engineering and psychological perspectives on the measurement of emotion. Perhaps I'm being defensive but she seemed to have more fun poking fun at the psychologists than the engineers, but
- [iBrain](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/06/ibrain/) - I just watched a TEDMED talk about the iBrain device via this link on the excellent Medgadget resource. The iBrain is a single-channel EEG recording collected via 'dry' electrodes where the data is stored in a conventional handheld device such as a cellphone. In my opinion, the clever part of this technology is the application
- [In the shadow of the polygraph](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/06/in-the-shadow-of-the-polygraph/) - I was reading this short article in The Guardian today about the failure of polygraph technologies (including fMRI versions and voice analysis) to deliver data that was sufficiently robust to be admissible in court as evidence. Several points made in the article prompted a thought that the development of physiological computing technologies, to some extent,
- [Heart Chamber Orchestra](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/06/heart-chamber-orchestra/) - I came across this article about the Heart Chamber Orchestra on the Wired site last week. The Orchestra are a group of musicians who wear ECG monitors whilst they play - the signals from the ECG feed directly into laptops and adapts the musical scores played directly and in real-time. They also have some nice
- [This is your brain giving up](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/01/this-is-your-brain-giving-up/) - Like a lot of people, I came to the area of physiological computing via affective computing. The early work I read placed enormous emphasis on how systems may distinguish different categories of emotion, e.g. frustration vs. happiness. This is important for some applications, but most of all I was interested in user states that related
- [The Extended Nervous System](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2010/01/the-extended-nervous-system/) - I'd like to begin the new year on a philosophical note. A lot of research in physiological computing is concerned with the practicalities of developing this technology. But what about the conceptual implications of using these systems (assuming that they are constructed and reach the marketplace)? At a fundamental level, physiological computing represents an extension
- [Categories of Physiological Computing](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/12/categories-of-physiological-computing/) - In my last post I articulated a concern about how the name adopted by this field may drive the research in one direction or another. I've adopted the Physiological Computing (PC) label because it covers the widest range of possible systems. Whilst the PC label is broad, generic and probably vague, it does cover a
- [What's in a name?](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/12/whats-in-a-name/) - I attended a workshop earlier this year entitled aBCI (affective Brain Computer Interfaces) as part of the ACII conference in Amsterdam. In the evening we discussed what we should call this area of research on systems that use real-time psychophysiology as an input to a computing system. I've always called it 'Physiological Computing' but some
- [BIOSTEC 2010](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/11/biostec-2010/) - A late addition to the conference list is BIOSIGNALS2010 - 3rd International Conference on Bio-Inspired Systems and Signal Processing to be held in Valencia in January 2010. This conference includes sessions on: signal processing, wearable sensors and user interface. Full details here
- [life logging + body blogging](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/10/life-logging-body-blogging/) - This article in New Scientist prompts a short follow-up to my posts on body-blogging. The article describes a camera worn around the neck that takes a photograph every 30sec. The potential for this device to help people suffering from dementia and related problems is huge. At perhaps a more trivial level, the camera would be
- [Brain, Body and Bytes Workshop: CHI 2010](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/10/brain-body-and-bytes-workshop-chi-2010/) - A workshop has been organised as part of CHI 2010 in Atlanta entitled "Brain, Body and Bytes". Details are here. The same organisers have also set up a facebook group.
- [quantifying the self (again)](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/09/quantifying-the-self-again/) - I just watched this cool presentation about blogging self-report data on mood/lifestyle and looking at the relationship with health. My interest in this topic is tied up in the concept of body-blogging (i.e. recording physiological data using ambulatory systems) - see earlier post. What's nice about the idea of body-blogging is that it's implicit and
- [Audience Participation](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/07/audience-participation/) - A paper just published in IJHCS by Stevens et al (link to abstract) describes how members of the audience use a PDA to register their emotional responses in real-time during a number of dance performances. It's an interesting approach to studying how emotional responses may converge and diverge during particular sections of a performance. The
- [Emotional HCI](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/07/emotional-hci/) - Just read a very interesting and provocative paper entitled "How emotion is made and measured" by Kirsten Boehner and colleagues. The paper provides a counter-argument to the perspective that emotion should be measured/quantified/objectified in HCI and used as part of an input to an affective computing system or evaluation methodology. Instead they propose that emotion
- [Body blogging](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/06/body-blogging/) - I've just returned from a summer school on pervasive adaptation organised under the PERADA project. As preparation for my talk, I was asked to identify some future applications for physiological computing. I drew from an idea first articulated by Ros Picard that exposure to quantifiable, objective feedback about emotional states could serve an educational purpose
- [Overt vs. Covert Expression](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/06/overt-vs-covert-expression/) - This article in New Scientist on Project Natal got me thinking about the pros and cons of monitoring overt expression via sophisticated cameras and covert expression of psychological states via psychophysiology. The great thing about the depth-sensing cameras (summarised nicely by one commentator in the article as like having a Wii attached to each foot,
- [Affective Comp/BCI workshop - deadline extension](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/06/affective-compbci-workshop-deadline-extension/) - The workshop on affective computing and BCI in Amsterdam this September has extended its deadline to 22nd June for all papers. Website for workshop here
- [Neurofeedback in Education](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/05/neurofeedback-in-education/) - FutureLab have published a discussion paper entitled "Neurofeedback: is there a potential for use in education?" It's interesting to read a report devoted to the practical uses of neurofeedback for non-clinical populations. In short, the report covers definitions of neurofeedback & example systems (including EEG-based games like Mindball and MindFlex) as background. Then, three potential
- [Formalising the unformalisable](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/05/formalising-the-unformalisable/) - Research into affective computing has prompted a question from some in the HCI community about formalising the unformalisable. This is articulated in this 2005 paper by Kirsten Boehner and colleagues. In essence, the argument goes like this - given that emotion and cognition are embodied biopsychological phenomena, can we ever really "transmit" the experience to
- [CHI workshop 2005](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/05/chi-workshop-2005/) - Just to show how out of touch I am with CHI stuff, I stumbled upon a workshop entitled "evaluating affective interfaces - innovative approaches" this afternoon. Only 4 years after the actual event. Here's a link to the web page with details of all papers.
- [Designing for the gullible](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/04/designing-for-the-gullible/) - There's a nice article in todays Guardian by Charles Arthur regarding user gullibility in the face of technological systems. In this case, he's talking about the voice risk analysis (VRA) software used by local councils and insurance companies to detect fraud (see related article by same author), which performs fairly poorly when evaluated, but is
- [Physiological Computing F.A.Q.](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/04/physiological-computing-faq/) - This post is out of date, please see the dedicated FAQ page for the latest revisions. 1. 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. A physiological computing system takes psychophysiological information from the
- [Mobile Heart Health](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/04/mobile-heart-health/) - There's a short summary of a project called 'Mobile Heart Health' in the latest issue of IEEE Pervasive Computing (April-June 2009). The project was conducted at Intel Labs and uses an ambulatory ECG sensor to connect to a mobile telephone. The ECG monitors heart rate variability; if high stress is detected, the user is prompted
- [Psych-Profiling in Games](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/04/psych-profiling-in-games/) - The Wired games blog has an article about the next Wii-enabled installment of survival-horror classic Silent Hill coming later in the year. Full article is here. A couple of paragraphs at the end about Psych-profiling the players caught my attention which I've pasted below. The basic idea is that software monitors behavioural responses to the
- [The European Future Technologies Conference](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/04/the-european-future-technologies-conference/) - The European Future Tech conference has the catchy title "Science Beyond Fiction" and is organised by the Future & Emerging Technologies (FET) division of the European Commission. I'm involved in the REFLECT project and we're doing a conference session about our work on 22nd April.
- [Adaptive & Emergent Behaviour and Complex Systems'09](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/04/adaptive-emergent-behaviour-and-complex-systems09/) - The PERADA project has asked me to talk about Biocybernetic Adaptation as part of a half-day Pervasive Computing workshop at the AISB conference in Edinburgh
- [Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction Conference](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/03/affective-computing-and-intelligent-interaction-conference-09/) - As an addendum to my last post, the BCI workshop is part of a larger conference on affective computing also in Amsterdam. Website for the conference here
- [Workshop on Affective Brain-Computer Interfaces](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/03/workshop-on-affective-brain-computer-interfaces/) - Just received notification of a 1-day workshop on Affective Computing/BCI to be held in September 09 in Amsterdam. Deadline for papers: 15th June. Full details here
- [Manipulating vs. Mirroring](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/2009/03/manipulating-vs-mirroring/) - In preparing a "futuristic" talk about Physiological Computing, I'm pondering how a system might adapt itself to physiological data indicating that the user just got upset or bored or exasperated. In the past, I've focused on the Gilleade et al (2005) classification where the system may help the user, challenge the user or emote the

## Pages

- [Publications](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/my-publications/) - 2025 Schroeder, F., Fairclough, S.H, Dehais, F. & Richins, M. The impact of cross-validation choices on pBCI classification metrics: lessons for transparent reporting. Frontiers In Neuroergonomics, link Fan, S., Fairclough, S.H., Khalique, A., Bury, A. & Yang, Z. Towards advanced decision-making support for shipping safety: A functional connectivity analysis. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and
- [About Me](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/about-me/) - I am a Professor of Psychophysiology at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. My academic background covers neurosciences, psychophysiology and human factors/human-computer interaction. My staff page at LJMU is here which contains all contact info A list of my papers is available on the next tab over. Links to pdf versions are provided where possible. For
- [Presentations](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/presentations/) - November 2022 A short talk about the concept of Neuroadaptive Technology. Recorded for the Colloquium Lectures at NASA Langley Research Centre as part of a session called 'The Brain At Work, Play and Everyday Life' on 15/11/22. October 2021 Webinar presentation for Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (European Chapter) on fNIRS in the
- [Podcast](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/3311-2/) - the mind machine is dedicated to the latest research in applied neurosciences, physiological computing, neuroadaptive interfaces and human factors psychology. Each episode features a conversation with a different researcher about their work. The conversations will cover technical aspects of the work as well as potential societal impacts. The podcast will present academic research in a way
- [the mind machine - Show Notes](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/the-mind-machine-show-notes/) - The mind machine podcast features me in conversation with other researchers talking: emerging technology, neurosciences, human factors and human-computer interaction. When I upload these conversations, I'm always aware of the fact that some listeners might not know about my various guests and their research. So, I've produced a couple of paragraphs to accompany each episode
- [Neuroadaptive Technology Conference 2019](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/neuroadaptive-technology-conference-2019/) - ************************************************** You can now register for the conference here Early Bird Registration Available until 17th June For queries about bookings, please email NTC2019@ljmu.ac.uk preliminary programme now available (please note speakers have been designated based on author order on the submissions, if the speaker is incorrect for your paper, please send
- [Student Stipends](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/student-stipends/) - At the first Neuroadaptive Technology Conference in Berlin, we offered a number of stipends for postgraduate students. These stipends offer free conference registrations to students at PhD and Masters level to attend the conference (but not to present their work). We are repeating this scheme for the second meeting in Liverpool. Students who are
- [Graeme Moffat](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/graeme-moffat/) - Lessons learned from consumer neurotechnology at scale As we move from early adoption in consumer neurotechnology toward the mainstream, it’s clear that the consumer neurotechnologies of today are best understood through the Neuroadaptive Technology framework. This presentation will survey the landscape of neuroadaptive technologies with a particular focus
- [Erin Solovey](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/erin-solovey/) - Human-Computer Interaction and Neuroadaptive Technology We are at an exciting time as emerging research is providing more practical brain measurement tools as well as greater understanding of brain function. This will continue through national investments such as the U.S. BRAIN Initiative, as well as the commercialization of wearable
- [Romy Lorenz](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/romy-lorenz/) - Back to the lab: neuroadaptive technology for cognitive neuroscientists Neuroadaptive technology is widely recognised for its exciting potential to augment human-computer interaction. Besides these applied uses, neuroadaptive technology provides a powerful technique to address basic research questions within the cognitive neurosciences that have been challenging to tackle with conventional methods.
- [Fabien Lotte](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/fabien-lotte/) - Machine learning and experimental tools towards EEG-based NeuroAdaptive Technologies Designing NeuroAdaptive Technologies (NAT) requires to be able to estimate one or more mental states from a user's brain signals, to understand the impact of this mental state on the way the user interact with the system, and to adapt this interaction
- [Frederic Dehais](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/frederic-dehais/) - A neuroergonomic approach to monitor cognition in complex real-life situation Neuroergonomics is an emerging field of interdisciplinary research that promotes the understanding of the brain in complex real-life activities. This approach merges knowledge and methods from human factors, cognitive psychology, system engineering, and cognitive neuroscience. Accurate and reliable mental state assessment of
- [Venue and Accommodation](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/venue-and-accommodation/) - The Neuroadaptive Technology Conference will be held at the John Lennon School of Art and Design. You can search hotels in the city via www.visitliverpool.com The visitliverpool website also contains lots of information about things to see and do during your stay in the city. We have compiled this list of hotels within easy walking
- [What is Physiological Computing?](https://physiologicalcomputing.org/sample-page/) - Physiological Computing is a term that is used to describe any technological system that incorporates physiological data from humans into its functionality or displays these data at the interface. First of all, what do we mean by physiological data? Tapping on a keyboard or moving a mouse is fundamentally a physiological act, right? What I'm

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