Robots Could Figure Out Human Emotions Via Facial Expressions

Should there come a day when robots start to interact with humans on a daily basis, it would be of utmost importance to figure out our emotions, that is for sure. Recognizing one’s facial expression is definitely important in the course of doing so, and there are computer vision systems out there in the market that does just that.South Korean scientists have come up with what they claim to be a far more simple and yet precise technology, although this will require users sticking something on their face.

Some of the researchers that were led by Nae-Eung Lee of Sungkyunkwan University have decided that a vision-based emotion-reading system is not only complex but expensive, and while those work when it comes to detecting one’s smiles and frowns, they generally are not able to read things which are a whole lot more subtle – including eye movements.

Hence, this research team has come up with thin, transparent flexible sensors which will be applied to key locations on the user’s face. These are very sensitive, since they are made up of a layer of carbon nanotubes that are placed between electrically-conductive elastomer composite films. Sensitive as in, to mechanical strain brought on by facial movements, regardless of how subtle it is. I suppose one can then move on to program an algorithm that can detect whether one is lying or not then, no? [Image Credit]

Edwin Kee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Science