A group of researchers at MIT‘s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) recently developed a new technology that can infer human emotions using wireless signals. They call it the EQ-Radio.
How Does it Work?
As this video describes, this device sends out a wireless signal that then bounces off of a person. This signal is then received by the device where it can determine differences in heartbeat and breathing patterns. It then uses this information to classify which emotional group you fall into (Happy, Sad, Angry or Excited).
Using concepts from machine learning, the team trained the EQ-Radio by using real people as their base of information. Originally, they had the participants recall memories that elicited specific emotions in order to get their base information. With their knowledge base in place they then asked the people to secretly elicit an emotion to see if the computer could determine which one they had chosen. This was their testing phase.
The team wrote a report to document their progress and their discoveries. In this report, they go into detail as to how they developed their software. Along with this, it describes the process in which they trained and tested their model. One such test involved 12 participants and 40 tests (100 at each emotion). The results are shown below:
Using this data they can determine, based on each person’s own model, what specific emotions each person is feeling. Since the compilation of all this data, they have a better idea how to test the emotions of someone who did not participate in the study.
Where Can You Learn More About EQ-Radio?
You can learn more about it from their page on the CSAIL website or from the paper they published on their project. If you want to learn about more projects going on at CSAIL, you can check out their website here.
Comments and Opinions
The EQ-Radio is an amazing innovation. As the above video describes, it has many real world applications. Most of these involve improving the quality of life of those that may suffer from depression or other mental illnesses that affect their everyday lives. This device can hopefully get people the help they need, when they need it.
Another possible use that the video does not touch on is for people Asperger’s. This device would help people who have trouble determining the emotions that other’s are feeling. It would be very beneficial if they were able to make it more compact. It would allow people to better determine and react with the socially accepted reaction to certain situations.
I think this device is an amazing feat of technology and science, and has opened many amazing possibilities in the future.
