Are YOU awkward in social situations? Wearable AI will help judge the tone of conversations
- The device analyses audio, text transcriptions and physiological signals
- This allows it to determine the tone of conversations with 83 per cent accuracy
- Researchers at MIT say they are hoping to work on devices such as Apple Watch
A single conversation can be interpreted in very different ways.
For people with social anxiety or conditions like autism, this can make social situations extremely stressful.
But a new device that can detect if a conversation is happy or sad based on speech patterns could make life easier for people who struggle in these situations.
Scroll down for video
The Samsung Simband predicts if a conversation is happy or sad based on a person's speech patterns. The system analyses audio, text transcriptions and physiological signals to determine the overall tone of a conversation
The emotionally intelligent technology was made by researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).
'Imagine if, at the end of a conversation, you could rewind it and see the moments when the people around you felt the most anxious,' said graduate student Tuka Alhanai, who co-authored the paper.
'Our work is a step in this direction, suggesting that we may not be that far away from a world where people can have an AI social coach right in their pocket.'
The system analyses audio, text transcriptions and physiological signals to determine the overall tone of a conversation.
Researchers say it is accurate 83 per cent of the time.
'Developing technology that can take the pulse of human emotions has the potential to dramatically improve how we communicate with each other', Ms Alhanai said.
Every five seconds the system can provide a specific sentiment score, meaning it can be used in real-time.
'As far as we know, this is the first experiment that collects both physical data and speech data in a passive but robust way, even while subjects are having natural, unstructured interactions,' said Mohammad Ghassemi, who co-wrote a paper on the subject.
'Our results show that it's possible to classify the emotional tone of conversations in real-time', he said.
The Samsung Simband, which is worn on the wrist, captures high-resolution physiological waveforms to measure features like movement, heart rate, blood pressure, blood flow and skin temperature.
It also analyses the speaker's tone, pitch, energy and vocabulary.
'Technology could soon feel much more emotionally intelligent, or even "emotional" itself', said Björn Schuller, professor and chair of Complex and Intelligent Systems at the University of Passau in Germany.
'The team's usage of consumer market devices for collecting physiological data and speech data shows how close we are to having such tools in everyday devices,' he said.
After capturing 31 different conversations of several minutes each, the team created two algorithms on the data.
The device captures high-resolution physiological waveforms to measure features like movement, heart rate, blood pressure, blood flow and skin temperature. Researchers say it is accurate 83 per cent of the time
One classified the conversation as either happy or sad, while the second classified each five-second block of every conversation as either positive, negative or neutral.
The algorithm's findings align with what us humans might expect to observe.
Long pauses and monotonous vocal tones were associated with sadder stories.
Sadness was also strongly associated with increased fidgeting and cardiovascular activity, as well as certain postures like putting one's hands on one's face.
Mohammad Ghassemi and Tuka Alhanai use the digital device in a conversation. Ms Alhanai says their next step is to improve the algorithm's emotional granularity
More energetic, varied speech patterns were associated with happier conversations.
'Our next step is to improve the algorithm's emotional granularity so it can call out boring, tense, and excited moments with greater accuracy instead of just labeling interactions as 'positive' or 'negative',' said Ms Alhani.
In future work, the team hopes to collect data on a much larger scale, potentially using commercial devices like the Apple Watch that would allow them to more easily deploy the system out in the world.
Most watched News videos
- Moments after Audi R8 GT crashes after driving almost 200 mph
- Heart-breaking moment mother doesn't recognise son
- CCTV footage records mother's trip that led to baby's death
- Driver causes three vehicle crash by braking suddenly on 70mph road
- Loose Women: Farage rows with Saira Khan over US travel ban
- Piranhas munch away on bulls head ripping it to shreds
- Terrified wedding guests shot at by lone gunman during ceremony
- The Missing People's choir perform 'I Miss You' in 2014
- Incredible moment mother KICKS her toddler daughter to safety
- Raging zebra bites down on zookeepers hand then drags him
- Video shows disturbing aftermath of fatal stabbing attack in LA
- Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid walk away from Brexit debate on GMB
- EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: What travel ban? The Obamas visit...
- A mother's worst nightmare: Woman trips over her outfit...
- Not so wholesome now! Ed Sheeran unveils his 60 elaborate...
- Now Storm Doris is on the way! Freezing Britain faces 10...
- Life's a breeze: The Obamas take a carefree stroll with...
- Loose Women's Saira Khan blasts Nigel Farage for...
- 'Is it a bunny?' British shoppers are mystified by...
- Ex-Army medic tells of the dramatic moment he leapt over...
- Passenger films £250k supercar speeding at 200mph along a...
- First Lady of NYC: Melania and Barron run errands in...
- Madeleine McCann's 'extremely disappointed' parents face...
- That's rich! Bill Gates could become world's first...