GEISTHuman-Centered Information Systems · TU Clausthal

Research topic

Affective computing

Sensing, sharing and shaping emotions, from audience physiology to digital empathy.

Research · 7

Projects

  • A Placebo Concert paper figure: VR piano concert with abstract visuals

    ActiveKeio · GEIST

    A Placebo Concert

    Telling people that abstract visuals represent audience physiology changes a VR concert more than whether the data is real (CHI '25).

    Meng et al., A Placebo Concert, CHI '25 (ACM)

  • Abstraction Beats Realism paper figure: abstract visualisation of audience arousal in a VR concert

    ActiveKeio · GEIST

    Abstraction Beats Realism

    Abstract visualisations of audience arousal synchronise VR concert visitors with the original live audience better than 360-degree video (AHs 2026).

    Meng et al., Abstraction Beats Realism, AHs 2026 (ACM)

  • Cuddle-Fish, a helium-filled soft robot with flapping wings (paper figure)

    ActiveKeio · GEIST

    Cuddle Fish

    A soft floating robot with flapping wings that people can safely touch, pat and hug (AHs '25).

    Xu et al., Cuddle-Fish, AHs '25 (ACM)

  • Dancers on stage during the Boiling Mind performance

    ActiveKeio · TU Clausthal

    Digitalized Emotion

    Making emotional states measurable, transferable and shareable, from audience physiology at live performances to digital empathy.

    GEIST / Embodied Media

  • Scene from the posthuman performance studied in the paper

    ActiveKeio · GEIST

    Embodied Responses to Posthuman Performance

    Audience bodies synchronise with a human-machine hybrid performer even when their minds are confused (AHs 2026).

    © 2024 Hiroyasu Daido, used with permission

  • Dancers on stage during the Boiling Mind performance

    ArchiveKeio · GEIST

    Boiling Mind

    Linking audience physiology and choreography: dancers react to the heart and skin signals of 98 spectators across three performances.

    GEIST / Embodied Media

  • Concert audience at the Frisson Waves performance

    ArchiveKeio · GEIST

    Frisson Waves

    Detecting, triggering and sharing aesthetic chills in a wave across the audience of a classical concert.

    GEIST / Embodied Media

Publications · 11

Recent publications

All 11 publications

  1. Abstraction Beats Realism: Physiological Visualizations Enhance Arousal Synchrony in VR Concert Recreations

    Xiaru Meng, Yulan Ju, Matthias Hoppe, Jiawen Han, Yan He, Kouta Minamizawa, Kai Kunze

    AHs 2026conference

  2. Embodied Responses to Posthuman Performance: A Mixed-Methods Study of Physiological and Emotional Audience Reactions

    Kai Kunze, Mingyang Xu, Danyang Peng, Lucas Ogasawara de Oliveira, Rose Shao, Xiaru Meng, Matthias Hoppe, Giulia Barbareschi

    AHs 2026conference

  3. Cuddle-fish: Exploring a soft floating robot with flapping wings for physical interactions

    Mingyang Xu, Jiayi Shao, Yulan Ju, Ximing Shen, Qingyuan Gao, Weijen Chen, Qing Zhang, Yun Suen Pai, Giulia Barbareschi, Matthias Hoppe, Kouta Minamizawa, Kai Kunze

    AHs 2025conference

  4. Spread Your Wings: Demonstrating a Soft Floating Robotic Avatar with Flapping Wings for Novel Physical Interactions

    Mingyang Xu, Yulan Ju, Qing Zhang, Christopher Changmok Kim, Qingyuan Gao, Yun Suen Pai, Giulia Barbareschi, Matthias Hoppe, Kai Kunze, Kouta Minamizawa

    SIGGRAPH E-Tech 2025demo

  5. A Placebo Concert: The Placebo Effect for Visualization of Physiological Audience Data during Experience Recreation in Virtual Reality

    Xiaru Meng, Yulan Ju, Christopher Changmok Kim, Yan He, Giulia Barbareschi, Kouta Minamizawa, Kai Kunze, Matthias Hoppe

    CHI 2025conference

  6. Affective Wings: Exploring Affectionate Behaviors in Close-Proximity Interactions with Soft Floating Robots

    Mingyang Xu, Yulan Ju, Yunkai Qi, Xiaru Meng, Qing Zhang, Matthias Hoppe, Kouta Minamizawa, Giulia Barbareschi, Kai Kunze

    SIGGRAPH Posters 2024poster

  7. Innermost echoes: Integrating real-time physiology into live music performances

    Danny Hynds, George Chernyshov, Dingding Zheng, Aoi Uyama, Juling Li, Kozue Matsumoto, Michael Pogorzhelskiy, Kai Kunze, Jamie A Ward, Kouta Minamizawa

    TEI 2024conference

  8. Frisson Waves: Exploring Automatic Detection, Triggering and Sharing of Aesthetic Chills in Music Performances

    Yan He, George Chernyshov, Jiawen Han, Dingding Zheng, Ragnar Thomsen, Danny Hynds, Muyu Liu, Yuehui Yang, Yulan Ju, Yun Suen Pai, Kouta Minamizawa, Kai Kunze, Jamie A. Ward

    IMWUT 2022journal

  9. Boiling Mind: Amplifying the Audience-Performer Connection through Sonification and Visualization of Heart and Electrodermal Activities

    Moe Sugawa, Taichi Furukawa, George Chernyshov, Danny Hynds, Jiawen Han, Marcelo Padovani, Dingding Zheng, Karola Marky, Kai Kunze, Kouta Minamizawa

    TEI 2021conference

  10. Frisson Waves: Sharing Frisson to Create Collective Empathetic Experiences for Music Performances

    Yan He, George Chernyshov, Dingding Zheng, Jiawen Han, Ragnar Thomsen, Danny Hynds, Yuehui Yang, Yun Suen Pai, Kai Kunze, Kouta Minamizawa

    SIGGRAPH E-Tech 2021demo

Theses · 1

Open thesis topics

Group · 5

People