An off-the-shelf platform for automatic and interactive text messaging using short message service

Abstract

This paper describes the design and construction of a platform for the implementation of an automatic and interactive message handling system through the use of Short Message Service (SMS), also known as texting, devised to be used as support of a Psychology study. The platform was devised to use low cost off-the-shelf parts, yet allowing the design of an efficient and robust system. The research that prompted the platform’s construction included researchers from the Psychology and Education Department and the Computer Science Department of the University of Beira Interior. The study’s goal is to assess psychological changes of the research subjects after exposure to motivational SMS texts. The paper describes the strategies adopted to design the architecture of the platform and the setting in place of the system, including the description of the used software and hardware. The source code of this system is publicly available at the Assisted Living Computing and Telecommunications (ALLab) website.