Computer system for researching advertising impact reads facial expressions
Researchers at EPF Lausanne have developed nViso Affettivo, a computer system that will be able to read facial expressions on behalf of market research and marketing institutes in the future. This should make it possible to objectively assess the impact of advertising messages within seconds.
The system compares the faces, which are recorded with a simple webcam, with those in a database. This allows muscle movements to be tracked and facial expressions to be assigned to specific emotions. Jean-Philippe Thiran, Professor at the Laboratory for Signal Processing at ETH Zurich, explains this to 20 Minuten. Under his supervision, the dissertation topic of electrical engineering student Matteo Sorci grew into a start-up company which, together with aViso, is set to revolutionize the world of advertising on the Internet.
The launch is planned for this winter. The fact that the free will of the consumer is being increasingly undermined by such systems does not seem to concern the researchers. Regarding ethical objections, Thiran says according to 20 Minuten that the researchers are only responsible for the technologies, while society is responsible for what happens with them.
The launch is planned for this winter. The fact that the free will of the consumer is being increasingly undermined by such systems does not seem to concern the researchers. Regarding ethical objections, Thiran says according to 20 Minuten that the researchers are only responsible for the technologies, while society is responsible for what happens with them.
