Sony develops laugh-detection system

[April]

Quote:Hook up a webcam and microphone to your PlayStation 3, and Sony will figure out just how much you're enjoying that content playing in front of you. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) applied for a patent for emotional tracking software, a system that senses a combination of body gestures, sounds you're making, facial detection, and group interactions to accurately determine your emotional reaction to a game or TV program. Then, that data can be sent over the network for all to see.

Sony is concentrating on laughter for this application, but the concept can also detect sadness, excitement, anger, joy, interest, and boredom. Considering that Sony already has face detection inside its cheapest digital cameras, the idea of determining emotions via software is not that far-fetched.

Besides using laughter as a controller for a video game, this tech could be useful in a social media setting, gathering "enjoyment data" that could be compiled from millions of viewers. That could end up as a sortable emotional rating for a TV show you're considering downloading. We can also imagine this as another step toward Big Brother watching everything we do, carting us away for not enjoying a certain political speech.

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