We get that sometimes you’d rather not be on webcam during a conference call. Maybe you’re embarrassed because your home is messy, or maybe you just want a modicum of privacy, but sometimes, having face-to-face conversations is better because you can see a person’s facial expression and make the call feel a bit more personal.
However, thanks to the researchers at Cornell University, they have created a pair of earphones that when worn, seems to be capable of tracking your facial expressions. This means that in theory, you could create a digital avatar to be used in a game or a video call to represent you, in which the avatar can then mimic the facial expressions that you give off.
Dubbed C-Face, these earphones can detect facial expressions based on the muscles you move in your face. The earphones will consist of two RGB cameras that capture red and green bands of light so that when you move your facial muscles, the light will change, which in turn will be interpreted by the camera to determine what kind of expression you are making.
While capturing expressions aren’t new, they are typically achieved by pasting sensors on the user’s face, which might not be practical for home use, so these earphones are a slightly more convenient solution.
Filed in . Read more about Wearable Tech. Source: news.cornell.edu