Soon, Gadgets that Swing to Your Moods
Would it be possible for the gadgets around you to
respond to how you are feeling? Maybe your laptop plays your favourite track
when you are sad or maybe the lights in your home dim when you are tired and
sleepy. All of it could be possible in the near future, thanks to ‘affective
computing’. The upcoming field is at an intersection of psychology, cognitive
science and computer science. This term has been around from the turn of the
century, but has really started gaining grounds due to rapid technological
advances in artificial intelligence areas such as big data, robotics and
machine learning, over the past few years. The devices interpret various
gestures, body language, vital signs, facial expressions,etc., to understand
the user’s mood. The sensors from various devices send the input data to
algorithms that determine what an user’s emotional state is and respond accordingly.
The term came to the fore with MIT researcher
Rosalind Picard’s 1995 paper on affective computing. Advances in this field
could possibly have impact across a variety of use cases from advertising,
healthcare, education and transport. Maybe, an MNC could potentially track its
drivers, if they are drowsy or lax on their jobs or maybe online education
companies can gauge the effectiveness of their content by tracking their
student’s reaction. In fact, Picard cofounded Affectiva, an emotion measurement
technology company, along with Rana el Kaliouby. Affectiva works with market
research firms and consumer brands like Kellogg’s to measure consumer emotion
responses to digital content.
ET10JAN18
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