Japan has always been known for its quirky electronics, and a new device by Japanese electronics and health care company Omron Corp. does not disappoint. Known as "Okao Catch," which means "face catch," the device analyzes the curves of the lips, eye movement and other facial characteristics to decide how much a person is smiling using data collected from a million people and their smiles. In a demonstration, a camcorder took videos of journalists covering the announcement. Percentage numbers indicating how much each person was smiling popped up in bold blue letters next to their faces on a monitor, flashing higher or lower as their expressions changed.
According to Yasushi Kawamoto of Omron, the company hopes to use its technology in the medical field, to assess the emotional state of patients. Okao Catch can also be useful for people who want to perfect their smiles, or for robot communication to make it easier for machines to decipher human reactions