YouBox is a serious game developed during the ICT ASC INCLUSION European Project which aimed to research tools able to assist children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) in the improving their abilities in emotion recognition and expression through full-body language.

Thanks to study, research and trials in the field of automated recognition of emotion through movement analysis, Casa Paganini – InfoMus researchers designed YouBox: through computer vision technologies, the system can measure children’s expressive gestures, make a real time analysis of their features and assign and emotional valence to the movements, distinguishing among joy, anger, sadness and fear. The emotion is then translated into music and color, giving both a visual and auditory feedback.

This serious game is able to increase awareness in emotional expression in ASC children, but is also a playful, educational and inclusive tool for all the hospitalized children, as it might be placed in playrooms next to wards.

While the child is moving, he sees his body silhouette projected in front of him, as if he was watching into a mirror. According to the emotional qualities he expresses through his body movement, the silhouette is filled in with the color associated with the appropriate emotion (yellow for joy, red for anger, blue for sadness and purple for fear); at the same time, he receives an auditory feedback as well. Sounds may belong to the world of cartoons, pieces of classical music as well as poetries by Palazzeschi performed with different emotional intents, giving children the chance to get in contact with cultural content belonging to our traditions in a playful and active way.