Google Glass app detects human emotion in real time
1 min read
A team from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute has created software for Google Glass that can analyse people's facial expressions in real time and tell you if they're happy, sad, surprised or upset.
The SHORE technology analyses video on the tiny computer hidden inside Google's smart specs and then superimposes the information back to the user. All of the calculations are carried out in real time by the CPU integrated into the eyewear, which means none of the image data can leave the device and no one's privacy is breached.
"This is the first emotion recognition software in the world to function in real time with Google Glass," said Fraunhofer in a statement. "It opens up an entire spectrum of new smart eyewear applications, including communication aids for people with disorders such as autism, many of whom have difficulty interpreting emotions through facial expressions."
The software is based on recognising structure based features. As well as gauging emotions such as anger, happiness, sadness and surprise, it is also capable of estimating gender and age, a feature Fraunhofer says could lead to applications in interactive gaming and market research.
Because of the high degree of optimisation, the researchers say the technology can be adapted to nearly any platform and operating system, especially mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. Take a look at the video below to see the technology in action.
