Sony eyes smile, smirk-controlled music phone
Grin for pop, gurn for death metal
Do you weep during Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven or grin from ear-to-ear when your hear The Monkees? If so then you should be using a device that changes tracks according to your facial expressions, at least according to Sony Ericsson.
Sony Ericsson's expressions tech: could replace the need for buttons
The firm’s applied to patent a technology for a technique called “generating playlist based on facial expression” to select tracks according to whether you’re smiling, frowning or weeping.
SE’s idea appears to be based around automatic playlist compilation. For example, if the camera thinks that you’re happy then it’ll rifle through your music library to select similarly upbeat songs.
SE’s existing SenseMe technology might help. It scans a song’s musical content using something called 12 Tone Analysis and LCMIR (Low-Complexity Music Information Retrieval) to group your tunes into ten playlist categories, such as Extreme, Classical and Electronic.
We can see a few potential niggles with the technology, though. What if you’re in an upbeat mood but suddenly trip while walking down the street? Would your track types suddenly change in response? What if you’re really upset? Selecting tearjerker songs because you’re wearing a frown wouldn’t be very helpful.
SE’s idea sounds pretty wacky, but we can’t wait to get your hands, sorry, faces on it if it ever does get implemented into a phone. ®
COMMENTS
It will get confused.
I'll put on some Arch Enemy or Lamb of God or something else similarly brutal, and I'll be smiling like pig in shit. Then it'll change my music to something "happy"?
Do not want!
OK?
Supposing you just plain ugly like me, what will get to listen to?
You only have Hannah Montana on the device ( I know, just pretend your 7 year old has borrowed it for the day ), you try and look miserable, what then? Logical paradox followed by explosion?
My player only has Lamb of God, Slayer and Megadeth, so matter what I look like it will always play my "pack'o'dogs fighting" music, as my Missus calls it!
Nookie?
What happens if you're 'on the job' with the missus? Depending on speed, motion, orientation and wardrobe height your facial expression will contort phenominally. What will the Walkman play then?? Gary Moore? Shane McGowan? Kylie??
Also, you've got a graphic of a bloke smiling while his 'phone plays Bruce Springsteen!! I mean, FFS, make the sodding picture believable!!!
heh
'gurn for death metal'
There's going to be a lot of ravers out there getting a nasty surprise then. lol
Great Idea
If I look depressed it will automatically scan my music for suitably depressing songs?
Maybe they could do the opposite, if they think I'm too happy the could whack on the Smiths or if I look too sad they could arrange for the next track to be "always look on the bright side of life"..............
