Computer scientists working at the National Science Foundation (NSF) have taken the art of motion capture — typically used to enhance video games and movies — to a new portable level capable of analyzing motions to reveal emotion.

In this video, they demonstrate how they’ve used the technology on handheld devices to capture motion as indicative of thoughts and feelings. Specifically, they’ve used the technology to analyze political speeches from Fidel Castro and Barack Obama.

NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense.”

With an annual budget of about $6.9 billion (FY 2010), NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing.