Shaundra Daily builds software that helps kids recognize, and learn from, their emotions. It’s a topic close to her heart: when she was a child, she says, she “didn’t really get emotion.”
Many children with autism struggle with a similar problem: not being able to fully communicate their emotions, or fully understand what others are feeling. Fortunately, scientists like Shaundra are building high-tech tools that can help.
Read. My. Stress Levels. (Image courtesy of nerissa’s ring)
Last summer, I had the pleasure of seeing one of Shaundra’s MIT colleagues, Rosalind Picard, give a talk at the World Science Festival in New York about several of her autism projects.
One of her team’s tools, called the Q Sensor, is a wristband that measures the electrical conductivity of the skin and then wirelessly transmits this data back to computers or cell phones. Skin conductance is a good measure of the body’s response to stress. So, when wearing the device, individuals with autism—or their teachers or family members—can monitor their emotional response even if they don’t show it on their face or express it verbally. (You can see a video of how the Q Sensor works here.)
Individuals with autism also have trouble reading other people’s facial expressions and emotions, which Picard has addressed in another project. She created a video system to be used during one-on-one conversations. The system can predict simple emotions—such as confusion, interest, or disagreement—based on footage of head movements and facial expressions. One person in the conversation wears a pair of glasses outfitted with a tiny display that shows this feedback about the other person’s emotions. Ideally, this tool will help people with autism interpret subtle cues during real interactions.
That’s only two of Picard’s many amazing projects. Check out the full list here.
