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Your mood caught by computer - Technology - www.smh.com.au

"Your mood caught by computer
December 26, 2004
The Sun-Herald


Scientists have developed a computer that can determine a person's mood simply from the sound of their voice.

They are now negotiating to sell the technology to a range of possible users, from car manufacturers to the makers of computer games and even reality television shows.

"When you are depressed or sad, the pitch of your voice drops and your speech slows down," said Dr Christian Jones, chief executive of Edinburgh-based Affective Media, the company behind the high-tech product.

"We betray our emotions in dozens of subtle ways. Our recognition system uses 40 of these.

"It ignores the words you use and concentrates exclusively on the sound quality of speech.

"It can tell your emotional state the very first time it hears your voice."

Dr Jones said car maker Toyota was already interested in using the technology to present road information in such a way that matched a driver's state of mind.

The on-board computer would become chatty for bored drivers or more calming for angry ones, Dr Jones said."