July 10, 2007

New Technology Records Emotions of Passers-by

German researchers have developed a new tool to recognize emotions as they flicker across the human face. Rapid facial analysis has huge potential for advertisers, but some are concerned about protecting privacy. A small video camera records the face of each person who passes and registers whether the person looks happy, surprised, sad or angry. Complex algorithms find faces in a video image, count the number of people watching an ad, distinguish between men and women and analyze their expressions. Plus, it all happens in real time.

Advertisements That Watch You Smile, Deutsche Welle, July 10, 2007.