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If the eyes are said to be the windows to the soul, perhaps they -- along with eyebrows and mouth -- can also be a window of opportunity to quell road-rage. Swiss researchers are testing new technology that monitors a driver's facial expressions for signs of anger that point to potential road rage.
The system, developed by scientists at Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroen, uses a camera to 'read' the driver's face, using cues from the eyes, brow line and mouth. When the subject shows signs of stress and anger, an alert is given that the driver should calm down.
But the Swiss research team says it hopes to develop the technology into production, and also to expand the sensor duties to detect fatigue, distraction and emotional or mental instability.
Mood-monitoring software is set to spread through a lot of the technology we use. Samsung is at work on a system for mobile phones, and Intel is developing one that can be integrated into laptops -- yes, computer rage is a thing.
Of course, there's often a big leap between telling somebody to calm down and having them do it. And the Swiss in-car system is yet to calculate for some of the other signs of driver anger ... like the common hand gestures flipped at surround traffic.
This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott
Watch the facial recognition technology video on our desktop site.
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