Authors:
Fábio Barros
1
;
2
;
António Teixeira
1
;
2
;
3
and
Samuel Silva
1
;
2
;
3
Affiliations:
1
DETI – Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
;
2
IEETA – Institute of Electronics Engineering and Informatics of Aveiro, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
;
3
LASI – Intelligent Systems Associate Laboratory, Aveiro, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Nonverbal Communication, Human-Computer Interaction, Multimodal Interaction.
Abstract:
Among humans, speech plays a central role in providing a form of communication that is efficient and natural. But communication goes beyond the verbal component harnessing a wide range of nonverbal aspects ranging from how words are said to posture, gestures, and facial movements. These, can complement or reinforce the message increasing the adaptiveness of our communication abilities to different contexts, a desirable characteristic to also have in our interaction with machines. Nevertheless, nonverbal communication cues are still scarcely considered for human-machine interaction not only motivated by the complexity of understanding and tackling them, but also by difficulties in translating them into a broader range of scenarios. In this context, this article examines the current state of research on nonverbal interaction and reflects on the challenges that need to be addressed in a multidisciplinary effort to advance the field.