Wearable Device for Emotion Detection Works Like a Mood Ring for the Face

It’s common for patients to conceal their true feelings, either from their caregivers or even themselves. A new experimental facial “sticker” aims to help with this by detecting and transmitting information about the wearer’s emotional state.

Sensors Measure Key Physiological Data to Track Emotions

Developed by Assoc. Prof. Huanyu “Larry” Cheng and his team at Pennsylvania State University, this flexible and stretchable device uses sensors to measure mechanical strain in two directions, body temperature, humidity from sweat, and blood oxygen levels. The sensors are arranged in layers, with thin sheets of various materials separating them to prevent interference between their signals and measurements.

Other components include a printed circuit board, wireless charging coil, 5-volt battery, and Bluetooth chip. These elements are all enclosed in a waterproof silicone cover, with the entire device measuring approximately 6 cm (2.4 inches) long.

Once the sticker adheres to the patient’s face, its strain sensors track the skin’s movement along two axes and wirelessly send this data to an app on a connected smartphone or tablet.

AI Algorithms Accurately Identify Facial Expressions and Mood

The app uses AI-driven algorithms to interpret the wearer’s facial expression, which correlates with their mood. In laboratory trials, the system has demonstrated over 96% accuracy in identifying six common facial expressions: happiness, surprise, fear, sadness, anger, and disgust.

However, people can sometimes fake facial expressions, even unconsciously.To address this, the app also uses real-time readings from the temperature, humidity, and blood oxygen sensors. By combining these data points, the system has achieved nearly 89% accuracy in identifying true emotions triggered by watching various video clips.

Advancements Will Improve Accuracy and Remote Monitoring Capabilities

As the technology advances, we expect this accuracy to improve. Moreover, because the system processes the data in the cloud, doctors could monitor patients’ emotional well-being remotely over the internet.

This approach offers a more comprehensive understanding of our emotions by analyzing multiple body signals at once,” says Cheng. “People often hide how they truly feel, which is why we’re combining facial expression analysis with other important physiological indicators, ultimately providing better mental health monitoring and support.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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