README.md

---
license: other
license_name: diem-a-ula
license_link: https://forms.gle/4GVB9PXkYZ9zoMPL6
extra_gated_heading: "Access Request & User License Agreement"
extra_gated_prompt: >-
  Access to DIEM-A requires a signed User License Agreement (ULA). To request access:

  1. Open the [**DIEM-A application form**](https://forms.gle/4GVB9PXkYZ9zoMPL6), which contains the full ULA.
  2. Print, sign, scan, and upload the signed PDF through the form.
  3. The User (signatory) must be a PI at an academic or publicly funded research institute, as per Section 3 of the ULA.
  4. After RIEC reviews and approves your application, request access here using the **same email address** you provided in the form.

  Use is restricted to **non-commercial academic research** (scientific research, teaching, classroom use). Redistribution is not permitted.

  For more information, see the [**official DIEM-A website**](https://www.cr-ict.riec.tohoku.ac.jp/diem-a/) and the [**ACII 2025 paper**](https://www.riec.tohoku.ac.jp/~kitamura/PDF/DIEM-A_ACII2025_Cheng.pdf).
extra_gated_button_content: "I have submitted the signed ULA via the form"
task_categories:
  - other
language:
  - en
  - ja
  - zh
tags:
  - emotion-recognition
  - motion-capture
  - affective-computing
  - body-movement
  - cross-cultural
  - 3d-skeleton
size_categories:
  - 10K<n<100K
---

# DIEM-A: Diverse Intercultural E-Motion Database of Asian Performers

DIEM-A is a motion-capture database of emotional whole-body movements by Asian professional performers, collected at Tohoku University (Japan) and National Chung Cheng University (Taiwan). The dataset is described in the ACII 2025 paper *Asian Emotional Body Movement Database: Diverse Intercultural E-Motion Database of Asian Performers (DIEM-A)* (Cheng, Tseng, Fujiwara, Schneider, Kitamura).

Official project page: <https://www.cr-ict.riec.tohoku.ac.jp/diem-a/>

## Overview

- **Performers:** 97 professional performers — 54 Japanese, 43 Taiwanese.
- **Emotions:** 12 emotion categories (joy, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, disgust, contempt, gratitude, guilt, jealousy, shame, pride) plus a neutral state.
- **Scenarios:** 3 self-prepared, personalised scenarios per emotion, created by the performers in their native language (Japanese or Mandarin), with English translations by three bilingual experts.
- **Intensity levels:** low, medium, high. Neutral was recorded at a single intensity.
- **Recordings per performer:** 111 = (12 emotions × 3 scenarios × 3 intensities) + (neutral × 3 scenarios × 1 intensity).
- **Total recordings:** 10,212.
- **Modalities:** motion-capture data and scenario text descriptions. (Video recordings are part of DIEM-A but are not distributed via Hugging Face.)

## Data formats

Recordings were captured using the Vicon "Production" marker set (57 retro-reflective markers). The reconstructed skeleton has **24 joints** (Hips, Spine ×4, Neck ×2, Head, and 4 segments per limb × 4 limbs), with **Z-axis up, Y-axis forward, X-axis from left to right shoulder**.

Each recording is provided in three formats:

| Format  | Contents                                  |
|---------|-------------------------------------------|
| `.bvh`  | Skeleton (24 joints)                 |
| `.c3d `  | 57 marker positions                   |
| `.fbx `  | Skeleton (24 joints) + 57 marker positions                  |

Files are named following the convention `Country_PerformerID_Emotion_ScenarioNumber_Intensity`.

> **Note.** Japanese performers 1–5 were recorded with an OptiTrack system rather than the Vicon system used for all other performers. They require additional pre-processing for consistency and will be released later.

## License and access

Use of DIEM-A is governed by the DIEM-A User License Agreement (ULA). Key terms:

- **Academic, non-commercial use only** — scientific research, teaching, and classroom use. Commercial systems, military applications, and government public-space systems are explicitly prohibited.
- **PI signature required** — the User must be a PI at an academic or publicly funded research institute. Students and part-time lecturers may be listed as Additional Researchers under the PI.
- **No redistribution** — except small portions used for clarification in academic publications or presentations.
- Access is granted only after the signed ULA has been received by RIEC.

To request access, submit the application form: <https://forms.gle/4GVB9PXkYZ9zoMPL6>.

## Citation

If you use any part of DIEM-A (motion capture data, scenario text data, or video recordings), please cite:

```bibtex
@inproceedings{cheng2025,
  title     = {Asian Emotional Body Movement Database: Diverse Intercultural E-Motion Database of Asian Performers (DIEM-A)},
  author    = {Cheng, Miao and Tseng, Chia-huei and Fujiwara, Ken and Schneider, Victor and Kitamura, Yoshifumi},
  booktitle = {2025 13th International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII)},
  pages     = {1--8},
  year      = {2025},
  organization = {IEEE}
}
```

If you also use perception data from the preliminary evaluation, please additionally cite:

```bibtex
@article{cheng2024,
  title     = {Toward an Asian-based bodily movement database for emotional communication},
  author    = {Cheng, Miao and Tseng, Chia-huei and Fujiwara, Ken and Higashiyama, Shoi and Weng, Abby and Kitamura, Yoshifumi},
  journal   = {Behavior Research Methods},
  volume    = {57},
  number    = {1},
  pages     = {10},
  year      = {2024},
  publisher = {Springer}
}
```

## Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO [JPNP21004]). Ethical approval was granted by the Human Research Ethics Committees at Tohoku University and National Chung Cheng University.