Pogany: A tangible cephalomorphic interface for expressive facial animation

A head-shaped input device is used to produce expressive facial animations. The physical interface is divided into zones, and each zone controls an expression on a smiley or on a virtual 3D face. Through contacts with the interface users can generate basic or blended expressions. To evaluate the interface and to analyze the behavior of the users, we performed a study made of three experiments in which subjects were asked to reproduce simple or more subtle expressions. The results show that the subjects easily accept the interface and get engaged in a pleasant affective relationship that make them feel as sculpting the virtual face. This work shows that anthropomorphic interfaces can be used successfully for intuitive affective expression.