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Researchers Aim To "Read Minds" of PC Users

Posted by kdawson on from the knew-you-were-going-to-say-that dept.

hhavensteincw writes "Scientists at Tufts University are researching the use of light aimed at the forehead to measure the stress, work overload, or distraction a computer user may be feeling, as a way to adjust the UI to adapt to a user's emotional state. The research combines biomedical engineering and machine learning to adjust the UI. The project, which requires users to wear a futuristic head band, uses light to measure the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain that signals a user's rising stress levels typically associated with increasingly difficult tasks."

17 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Does it run as a daemon? by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder how a resident daemon would interpret the user's reaction after typing "rm -rf /" instead of "rm -rf ./"

    How would it adjust the UI to fit his mood? Perhaps a soothing blue would be in order.

    1. Re:Does it run as a daemon? by onion2k · · Score: 3, Funny

      How would it adjust the UI to fit his mood? Perhaps a soothing blue would be in order.

      I'm on Windows here, and I find it incredibly annoying when the UI changes to 'soothing blue'.
      --
      http://twitter.com/onion2k
    2. Re:Does it run as a daemon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      No thanks, I would not like something like that hooked up to my computer...

      That's company's computer to you. You don't get to say what will be hooked to it.
      Hmm, now that you've mentioned that, are you hiding something about project deadlines?

      Your boss

      Joke aside, congratulation, you've done it... after your quite juicy advertising the benefits to PHBs (depiction of inflicted fear and PHB undisturbed domination), they WILL make it mandatory!
    3. Re:Does it run as a daemon? by niceone · · Score: 2, Funny

      Headline seems a bit sensationalists, they're not reading minds, they MEASURING STRESS.

      Well, they are using the colour of your forehead to determine how many times you have whacked your head into the screen in desperation recently, which probably correlates well with your stress level.

      --
      ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
    4. Re:Does it run as a daemon? by alexhs · · Score: 1, Funny

      How would it adjust the UI to fit his mood? It seems you just made a big mistake.
      Would you want me to help you writing your resignation letter ?
      --
      I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of killer sig, which this margin is too narrow to contain.
    5. Re:Does it run as a daemon? by Lavene · · Score: 2, Funny

      Why would you ever want to type 'rm -rf ./'? Because it looks cooler and feels more dangerous than 'rm -rf *' ?
  2. Yup by Corporate+Troll · · Score: 4, Funny

    Raise of my temperature means I'm wanking off at porn.... No surprise to me ;-)

    1. Re:Yup by slittle · · Score: 1, Funny

      Raise of my stress level means I don't have a god damn 9 of diamonds!!!!

      --
      Opportunity knocks. Karma hunts you down.
  3. I, for one, ... by darthflo · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... welcome our mind-reading, futuristic-headband-enforcing UI-adjusting overlords!

  4. Great! by curty · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now my boss and work colleagues will know whether or not to approach me, by looking at the colour of my screen first!

  5. 2001 by kcbrown · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Scientists at Tufts University are researching the use of light aimed at the forehead to measure the stress, work overload, or distraction a computer user may be feeling, as a way to adjust the UI to adapt to a user's emotional state.

    Aha. I always wondered what HAL's light was for...

    "Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over."

    If my computer "adjusts" its UI the way HAL did, I'm gonna kick it's ass...

    --
    Use 'slashdot stuff' in the subject line in any email you send me if you want to get past the spam filter.
    1. Re:2001 by JustOK · · Score: 4, Funny

      its just the computer moving the apostrophe key because of your stress level

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
  6. Re:nothing new, nothing useful by crowbarsarefornerdyg · · Score: 2, Funny

    Only if it's porn.

    --
    "Slapping lipstick on a pig does NOT make it Natalie Portman. Paris Hilton, maybe, but not Portman." - UncleTogie
  7. Obligatory by StarfishOne · · Score: 4, Funny


    1. You're late for a presentation

    2. You fire up PowerPoint in a desperate attempt to make some crucial changes to keep your potential customers happy

    3. Your computer sees that you're stressed... which it considers to be unhealthy

    4. Then Clippy pops up and says 'I can't do that Dave'!

  8. Look the data is already in by eclectro · · Score: 1, Funny

    This is what the different PC users are really thinking;

    Microsoft PC user: I've been pwned.

    Macintosh PC user: Steve Jobs glow is supernatural.

    Linux PC user: Microsoft die! die! die!

    BSD PC user: Not dead yet.

    Call me Kreskin.

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
  9. Compulsory Vista joke by jsiren · · Score: 2, Funny

    You are getting stressed. Cancel or Allow?

    --
    Usage: km/h for speed (kilometers per hour); kph for very slow impulses (kilopond hours).
  10. Finally... by Michael+O-P · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can start effectively marketing MRML (Mind-Reading Markup Language).

    --
    I'm Peggy.