Will Computers Read Your Mind?
From: Tech TV - May 30, 2002
By: Brandon Mercer

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 different emotions than they were actually feeling. 

http://www.techtv.com/news/computing/story/0,24195,3386341,00.html