Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have developed a system that enhances the sense of social presence in online interactions by sharing biosignals, such as heart rate, between gaming partners. The system, called “BioShare,” was designed to address the lack of meaningful social interactions in online communication by allowing players to share real-time physiological data during gaming sessions.
The study tested the system with 20 participants who played five matches of an online soccer game against different opponents under various conditions: without any opponent information, with live video of the opponent, with heart rate information, with both video and heart rate information, and offline in the same room with the opponent. The results indicated that viewing the heart rate of their opponents significantly increased the players’ attention to the biosignals, much like they would focus on the opponent’s face when shown. The combination of both live video and heart rate data provided the strongest effect, closely replicating the experience of playing in person.
Questionnaires assessing social presence revealed that while the BioShare system could not match the level of social connection felt when physically co-present, the combination of visual and biosignal data created a close approximation. The findings suggest that this method could enhance the depth of online interactions, particularly in gaming and other remote communication scenarios.
