The Charles - A new sensor device for measuring body language and stress in speech communication

Authors: Vidar Freyr Gudmundsson, ïo Valls-Ratés, Oliver Niebuhr

Abstract:

We present TheCharles, a new 10-channel sensor belt system formeasuring and recording body-language and temperature-related stress signals that a speaker produces, for example, in a public-speaking context. Key results of an initial proof-ofconcept test are summarized, carried out with 8 male and female speakers who gave a speech in L2 English. We found that the speakers' arm, hand, and torso movements show many strong correlations with prosodic patterns, albeit with clear differences in terms of laterality and speaker gender. The findings are discussed with respect to the applicability of The Charles and its measures and directions of future research.