The computer reacts with emotions

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Would it be great if your computer realized you were annoyed with it and adjusted yourself to help heal the heat? Emotion-sensing technology will one day turn it into reality.

Scientist Christian Peter at the Fraunhofer Institute of Computer Graphics in Germany and his colleagues are investigating a system that collects data about the emotional state of the user, based on light, sound and tactile. Technology decodes the information and responds accordingly.

For example, if the computer senses that the user is cranky, it reduces the color tone of the screen, turns the music down, enhances or reduces the picture, adjusts the information flow, or simply sorry.

But feeling one's emotions is not easy. Current data collection methods require the user to carry the electrodes and be monitored in the laboratory.

Less cumbersome measures such as video or recording allow the user to operate naturally. But data can be lost if the person moves too far.

Peter and his team are exploring a technology that can sense the emotions of others they can interact with comfortably with their computers. It is a wireless electronic gauge measuring heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.

The information obtained from the glove will be transferred to a recording unit stored on the memory card and sent to the computer. The software analyzes the data and identifies specific emotion patterns.

For example, if a person's heart rate rises and the body temperature drops to a certain level, it indicates that he is angry. The Fraunhofer team is also researching facial imaging technology based on conventional webcams.

The goal is to collect all the information in a data warehouse, analyze in real time and program the computer for instant response.