[Sigia-l] machines interpret users' emotions

[Jody A. Hankinson]

Well, good news because product usability is getting more attention. My
immediate objection is usability will get shoved to the end of the process
even more than already happens. (I know, I know. I'm preaching to the
converted.) - Jody

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Synopsis from ACM's TechNews for June 3, 2002
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html
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Computers that can interpret a user's emotional state through his or her
facial reactions are under development. NCR and the University of
California's Integrated Media Systems Center are designing a better class of
ATMs that map emotions: A camera focuses on users' features, and then
software creates a map of facial expressions and compares them to a database
of emotions to find a match. The ATM can then tailor the user experience
based on these results, eliminating promos in response to customer
irritation or enlarging font size for better legibility, for example.
Teradata engineer Dave Schrader says such technology could also be applied
to information kiosks, while Dr. Skip Rizzo of the University of Southern
California believes it could be even more useful for counseling and
psychological evaluation. "We still have a long way to go with this, but we
believe by tracking facial expressions it gives us added information that a
therapist can use to get a better insight into a patient," he explains. The
technology could also be used to uncover suspicious individuals at airports
and other security checkpoints who display conflicting emotions in response
to certain questions. However, some emotions may be harder to detect than
others--for instance, Schrader notes that confusion and frustration are
similar, while depression is even more nuanced. The technology also opens up
concerns about privacy; Sonia Arrison of the Center for Freedom and
Technology warns that its accuracy could be hampered if people knew they
were being watched and displayed
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Full article at 
http://www.techtv.com/news/computing/story/0,24195,3386341,00.html



Jody A. Hankinson  
   Information Architect ......| Interpreting strategy and processes
e: hank99 at bway.net             | into Internet applications.
t: 917.749.0910