Our tools:
Not just the hammer!

"If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"

Abraham Maslow

mano, mouse, cliccare, clic, rete sociale, tecnologia, rete,

Technology as a tool

The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow stated that when all you have is a hammer, everything will look like a nail to beat.

 

In Umana Analytics abbiamo fatto di questa riflessione un vero e proprio mantra. Abbiamo accesso alla più ampia dotazione di strumenti e competenze disponibile sul mercato che adattiamo per andare incontro alle reali esigenze dei nostri partner. Sviluppiamo noi stessi nuove tecnologie che consentono di trasferire i risultate delle ricerche alle imprese. Lo stesso vale per l’ampia gamma di competenze scientifiche multidisciplinari che ci consentono la realizzazione di studi sviluppati in maniera “sartoriale”.

Learn more about our tools:

Movement Tracking

Mouse tracker

This software allows to record the movement of the mouse during both an experimental setting or free exploration of a graphical interface, returning information about the position of the mouse and the relative interaction times with respect to the areas of interest. 
Our systems allow us to return maps of interest and records all the movement trajectories, allowing also a post-hoc analysis of the recordings.

Eye tracker

Eye-tracking is a technology that uses a system of infrared cameras to observe and track the movements of the pupils and understand where they are addressed in a picture, a video, or even a real scenario. To increase the ecology of our experiments we employ Tobii Pro Glasses 2, handy and portable glasses that eliminate postural constraints and are easily adapted to all kind of laboratory, experimental settings.

Handgrip

This system consists of a device that detects the amount and direction of impressed force during a given task, and a software that, after encoding the input signals, returns a visual feedback on the screen. The system allows to provide a real-time feedback to compare the ideal force level and the one actually applied. The principle on which this tool is based is the bio-feedback.

Eye tracker
Handgrip

Emotion Recognition

PRAAT

PRAAT è uno strumento per l’analisi della prosodia, ovvero le componenti “acustiche” del linguaggio parlato (intonazione, durata, accento). Il software consente l’acquisizione, memorizzazione ed analisi del segnale verbale, e fornisce dati numerici con possibilità di valutazione oggettive delle caratteristiche vocali.

Among the most important functions of prosodic indices there is the paralinguistic one, which allows the transmission of information concerning the emotions and the mood of the speaker. Numerous researches have investigated differences in the vocal expression of different emotions and have confirmed the importance of prosodic factors as a powerful indicator of the level of physiological activation.

Face reader

FaceReader is a software for the recognition and analysis of facial expressions. Starting from the classification system described by Ekman, and relying on a classification system based on deep learning, the software is able to recognize basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, disgust and neutral), as well as contempt, interest and boredom.
To do so, it identifies the faces within the images and extrapolates a three-dimensional model based on 500 key points, which allows tracking the movements of facial muscles on which to base the classification of expressions. Recognition can take place either in real-time, through the use of a webcam connected to the laptop, or offline on previously recorded audio and video material.
praat
face reading technologies

Imaging

fMRI

fMRI stands for functional magnetic resonance imaging, a technique that allows to study the activity of the brain "in vivo," while performing a given task. 

fMRI allows for the identification of brain areas that are activated in response to specific stimuli, due to its ability to measure changes in oxygenation of hemoglobin that flows to a specific brain area or region of interest when exposed to a specific stimulus. 

The main feature of this technique is a high and accurate spatial resolution, but with a limited temporal resolution (compared, for example, to other techniques adopted in neuromarketing that allow to record neural events in terms of milliseconds, such as EEG).

NIRS

NIRS stands for Near Infrared Spectroscopy.

 
It is a technique that, like fMRI, leverages the different properties of oxygenated and non-oxygenated hemoglobin.

Compared to fMRI, NIRS is cheaper, more portable and allows a more flexible use. In fact, while fMRI is strongly affected by the movements that take place inside the scanner, NIRS, being mainly composed of a headset with integrated sensors that is applied on the participant's head, does not suffer from this limitation. 

 

On the other hand, NIRS does not allow to perform an assessment of deeper brain structures, has a lower signal-to-noise ratio and lower spatial resolution.

neuro
neuroimaging

Electrophysiology

EEG

Electroencephalogram allows the study of cortical brain activity by detecting the electric fields generated by cerebral cortical neurons activity near the scalp, through sensors applied to a headset that participants can wear as a helmet. The main feature of this technique is its high temporal resolution.

 

EEG is very flexible: it can be used outside the Lab and even in real scenarios, e.g. when browsing supermarket shelves.

EMG

Electromyography is based on a principle similar to that of the EEG. It employs sensors directly placed on the muscle bundle we want to study. 

Such sensors detect the change in electrical potential of motor neurons.

 

EMG allows detection of micro-changes in muscle tension (e.g., involuntary contractions) even in the absence of movement.

e-Nose

The e-nose is a technology that replicates the human olfactory system and is used to recreate an olfactory map of odors allowing both quantitative and qualitative analysis. 

 

The e-nose collects information acquired by an aspiration system and a series of sensors that is converted into digital format and processed by special classification or regression algorithms.

eeg

(Neuro)biofeedback

When we talk about (neuro)biofeedback, we are actually referring to a set of techniques that enable a person to become aware of and able to regulate psychophysiological functions that are outside of voluntary control, such as skin conductance and temperature, muscle tension, brainwave activity, psychogalvanic response, blood pressure and heart rate. The aim of (neuro)biofeedback training is to improve well-being and psychophysical performance and to learn how to cope better with stress. Also known as augmented proprioception, biofeedback enables the subject to become more aware of their internal states and subsequently improve their ability to self-control and self-regulate.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback employs a suite of sensors to detect and measure changes in the psychophysiological processes we want to modify and control. This data is processed, transformed into clear and understandable representations (usually visual or auditory), and presented to the participant in the form of real-time feedback, so that he/she gains an immediate perception of changes that would otherwise be outside of his/her proprioception.
Biofeedback differs from a simple psychophysiological assessment, because the data about what is happening inside one's body is provided to the person themself, closing the loop of action and allowing the learning of self-regulation and modulation of operating parameters.

Neuro-biofeedback

Neuro-biofeedback is a particular type of biofeedback. Brain functioning is monitored and presented to the participant in real time, to facilitate learning about the self-regulation of the neural substrates of the cognitive and behavioral processes to be modeled. Using neuroimaging techniques such as EEG, fMRI and fNIRS, a detailed map of the individual's neural functioning is obtained, along with the profile of reactions in specific tasks, designed to evoke various aspects of mental performance. Based on the participants' needs, a specific training protocol is then developed to help them learn how to model their neural functioning to enhance the desired abilities. 
strumenti

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