Authors:

Radoslaw Niewiadomski, Eleonora Ceccaldi, Gijs Huisman, Gualtiero Volpe, Maurizio Mancini

Publication Type:

Refereed Original Article

Abstract:

Food and eating are inherently social activities taking place, for example, around the dining table at home, in restaurants, or in public spaces. Enjoying eating with others, often referred to as “commensality,” positively affects mealtime in terms of, among other factors, food intake, food choice, and food satisfaction. In this paper we discuss the concept of “Computational Commensality,” that is, technology which computationally addresses various social aspects of food and eating. In the past few years, Human-Computer Interaction started to address how interactive technologies can improve mealtimes. However, the main focus has been made so far on improving the individual’s experience, rather than considering the inherently social nature of food consumption. In this survey, we first present research from the field of social psychology on the social relevance of Food- and Eating-related Activities (F&EA). Then, we review existing computational models and technologies that can contribute, in the near future, to achieving Computational Commensality. We also discuss the related research challenges and indicate future applications of such new technology that can potentially improve F&EA from the commensality perspective.

Digital Object Identifer (DOI):

10.3389/frobt.2019.00119

Publication Status:

Published

Date Accepted for Publication:

Monday, 28 October, 2019

Publication Date:

05/12/2019

Journal:

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

Research Group:

Personal Sensing

Institution:

National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC)

Open access repository:

Yes
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2019.00119/full