Communications of the ACM
Face Time: Onr-Sponsored Tech Reads Facial Expressions For Autism Symptoms
Thanks in part to support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), a new app screens for autism by reading childrens facial expressions for emotional cues.
Credit: Office of Naval Research
Researchers at the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Duke University have developed Autism & Beyond, an app that can screen for autism by reading children's facial expressions for emotional cues.
"Not only could the app be used to learn more about childhood autism, it could possibly reveal signs of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and mild traumatic brain injury [TBI] in warfighters--conditions that often have subtle symptoms and are difficult to diagnose," says ONR researcher Predrag Neskovic.
The app has children complete a series of questionnaires and watch short videos designed to make them smile, laugh, and be surprised. Parents or caregivers can use the phone's user-facing camera to record children's facial movements for evaluation by doctors, researchers, and software.
The app relies on an algorithm that automatically maps key landmarks on children's faces and assesses emotional responses based on the movements of facial muscles. "We analyze the video to track position and movement of the head and face, including the lips, eyes, and nose--all of which indicate emotions," says Duke University professor Guillermo Sapiro.
After the autism studies are complete, the researchers want to expand and tailor the technology to conditions suffered by warfighters, such as PTSD, TBI, and depression.
From Office of Naval Research
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2016 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
No entries found