The Subtle Stone bridges the emotional communication gap that exists between student, teacher and researcher.

It is a handheld tangible tool, and is based on colour. The communication embodied by the Subtle Stone is based upon colour. The use of colour allows the student to develop their own language linking colours with emotion - this feature provides a crucial level of privacy. To communicate with the teacher (or researcher) the student simply squeezes the Subtle Stone until it displays the colour that represents the emotion that the student wants to communicate.

Prototypes of the Subtle Stone have been used in classrooms for a total of eight weeks. Analysis at present suggests that the Subtle Stones enables the teacher to better understand the emotional experiences of students in the classroom.

At present I am collaborating with a number of researchers at both the University of Sussex and the London Knowledge Lab to further explore the potential of this technology in a number of different settings.