In conventional communication techniques using information processing apparatuses, in face-to-face communication using no information processing apparatuses, not only meanings are conveyed using linguistic words, but also other information such as information indicating emotion/state is conveyed via a face expression, a motion, a mood, and/or other means. In contrast, in communication using a telephone, a mail, or a chat, although meanings using linguistic words can be conveyed, emotion, states, or moods that cannot be expressed using words cannot be conveyed. It is known to use a computer graphic image called an avatar in virtual communication via the Internet. However, avatars cannot well express emotion of users.
Thus, at present, in communication using information apparatuses, transmission of information is very limited.
To break through the above limitation, a communication apparatus has been proposed which transmits voice information, image information, and vital sign information, guesses the psychological or physiological state of a user from received information, and outputs a guessed value (a specific example of this technique may be found, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-34936 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1)).
In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, deviations from mean values are calculated for various items of vital sign information associated with a user, and the emotion or the state of the user is guessed on the basis of the calculated deviations. However, such a simple algorithm cannot necessarily correctly guess the emotion or state such as “joy”, “anger”, “sadness”, or “happiness” of a user. Presentation of incorrect information about emotion of a user can results in a misunderstanding in communication between users.
Various manners of displaying information have been proposed. One known technique is to display information using a table, a graph, or a graphic image. Another technique is to change a face expression or a color of a face. It is also known to modulate a voice or a sound depending on information being received. However, any of those known techniques cannot well express user's emotion or state guessed from vital sign information. It is also difficult to represent motion or mood of users.