These computers know what you’re feeling
I was reminded of the Mandarin for “computer” (it is 電腦, dian nao, or “electric brain”) when reading about a summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London in which visitors “are being invited to take part in research with ‘emotionally aware’ computers designed to mind-read by analysing facial expressions.” The developers are hoping that this technology might be used to develop “smart adverts” that could (for instance) detect sadness in a person and “try to sell them something cheering, from an anti-depressant to a holiday.”
Leaving aside the ethical implications of a “smart advert” trying to sell me Prozac because I may be momentarily glum due to have missed the light to cross the street, I will also note that these developers (working in conjunction with a team at the University of Cambridge) are also, with American colleagues, working on
a headset version of the system to help people who find it difficult to read others’ facial expressions and emotions, as happens with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. The headset would interpret other people’s moods and communicate them to the wearer.
While there are limitations to the computer metaphor of autism, if they made the headsets white with small earbuds like those for the iPod like a good percentage of the population aroung here walks around with, no one would raise an eyebrow.
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POSTED IN: Asperger's Syndrome, Science, Technology
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