Mind-reading computers seem to be all the rage again. First, Reuters reported that British and American scientists are developing an “emotionally aware” computer that will be able to read an individual’s thoughts by analysing a combination of facial movements that represent underlying feelings. Then, BusinessWeek carried a similar article about a computer developed by British scientist Peter Robinson that can analyse people’s facial expressions to read their moods.
(The question is: Do we really need a computer to know how another person is feeling? Gosh, and I thought human beings are fully capable of communicating with one another.)
About a week later, Business 2.0 ran a story highlighting a radical change in how we interact with computers – soon we will be able to surf the Web with nothing but brainwaves. Sounds impressive, but I wonder if it works for people who cannot concentrate, have short attention span, or are brain dead (not medically).
