Lost the Remote? Use Your Face

coondoggie writes "A researcher has discovered a way to use facial expressions to speed and slow video playback. By using a combination of facial expression recognition software and automated tutoring technology Jacob Whitehill, a computer science Ph.D. student from UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering, is leading the project that ultimately is part of a larger venture to use automated facial expression recognition to make robots more effective teachers. The researchers recently conducted a pilot test with 8 people that demonstrated information within the facial expressions people make while watching recorded video lectures can be used to predict a person's preferred viewing speed of the video and how difficult a person perceives the lecture at each moment in time."

Comments

Excellent teachers...

[Thelasko]

can do this. I've noticed bad college professors just keep plowing through the subject. The best ones will look at the students faces and say, "Lets back up a little," when they see blank stares from their pupils.

I don't think the ability to determine how difficult a concept is to grasp is the breakthrough here. I think it's the fact that a machine can do it.

Re:Excellent teachers...

[street struttin']

I would assume that a blank stare would be the most common face made when viewing TV. Especially if it's something that starts with "America's..." or "Celebrity...".

fingertips

[COMON$]

Ok I don't like the idea of changing with my facial expressions. We humans use soo many expressions when talking and even just watching video that any device recording them bound to get confused. What I am interested in is the gesture based technology. Proof of concepts like where they converted the wiimote to a sensor are neat. But I would pay good money for a universal remote where I could gesture with my hands to interact with my consoles. I feel like these are right around the corner. No looking for your remote, just gesture to change the channel or turn up the volume with a precursor motion. Every once in a while you see a company try to hit this market with different products like the playstation webcam thing but no one has hit it on the head yet.

Has anyone heard of a company making good headway in this department?

Re:I can't wait

[jellomizer]

Well this could have unforeen consequenses. Say you have to watch a boring show or presentation. It is booring really boring but you have to go threw it as there is important information randomly spread out. If we start making expressions so automatically then we the kid will miss all the information.
Or if there are 2 people watching the show and one guy is really dense and just doesn't get it the other guy will have to watch the show stop and start when he doesn't want it to.

And Kids They will play the damn segment over and over and over and over and over again. This will just lead to child abuse.

Obligatory Hitchhikers...

[camperdave]

For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive -- you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same programme.

Re:Wonder if this can be applied to the web

[Tubal-Cain]

For some reason the boss didn't like the rfid tags idea for boss tracking. Maybe you should use bluetooth as an early-detection system if the range in your workplace is satisfactory.

Re:Obvious use

[GroeFaZ]

Another use: when robots take over teaching (no matter the subject), whenever the robot teaching goes into a possibly pornographic direction, make an interested face, otherwise look bored. In due time, the robot should lecture about pr0n exclusively.