The Emdros Text Database Engine as a Platform for Persuasive Computing

This paper describes the nature and scope of Emdros, a text database engine for annotated text. Three case-studies of persuasive learning systems using Emdros as an important architectural component are described, and their status as to participation in the three legs of BJ Fogg's Functional Triad of Persuasive Design is assessed. Various properties of Emdros are discussed, both with respect to competing systems, and with respect to the three case studies. It is argued that these properties together enable Emdros to form part of the foundation for a large class of systems whose primary function involves text being stored in or retrieved from a database.