A system patented by lawyer, Gary Zalewski (who acts as a patent lawyer for Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA)), that uses laughter and yawning is not, as has been reported elsewhere, a controller. It's a device to allow analysts and advertisers to discover how you have been reacting to content.
The patent, 'Laugh Detector And System And Method For Tracking An Emotional Response To A Media Presentation' (details here for the actual facts) includes the following descriptions:
"Not only does the invention identify an individual's profile, but the individual's profile may further identify a network of friends and shared networks, as well as a demographic, and other classes into which the individual may be placed. The invention can be placed broadly into a media presentation stream, such as set top boxes, network enabled game consoles, such as a Sony PlayStation, remote controls, and the like..."
"Information in the form of emotional responses to a media presentation may be passively collected, for example by a microphone and/or a camera..."
It's the fact that 'PlayStation' is mentioned by name and that 'microphone and/or a camera' is used as a phrase, that appears to have instigated the 'new controller' news stories.
On the tedious old fact side, the use of 'passively', the fact that SCEA is not mentioned in the patent, and the line that says, "The invention need not be limited to audio-visual presentations. For example, if a song is played and a person is smiling or if he is singing along with the song, then the invention is used to capture that useful information", all seem to have passed people by.
More worryingly, if you're a reader of dystopian fiction, is the line: "As a result, an analyst can ask, for example, "Go back to the emotion. What makes these people laugh?" The invention can then return, for example, a histogram of the Top Ten things that caused this response. An analyst can then get to specific target markets, for example, to look at an average distribution within a particular age range with regard to the number-one, the number-two, three-, and four-ratings within the histogram. In this regard, the level of data mining provided in connection with this embodiment of the invention allows identification of any individuals who fall outside the standard distribution. Thus, the invention provides a form of focus group that is generated in real time based upon information that is passively captured and that identifies the reaction of one or more individuals to, for example, a media presentation."
So, the camera and the mic... just a way of collecting more data.
The patent, 'Laugh Detector And System And Method For Tracking An Emotional Response To A Media Presentation' (details here for the actual facts) includes the following descriptions:
"Not only does the invention identify an individual's profile, but the individual's profile may further identify a network of friends and shared networks, as well as a demographic, and other classes into which the individual may be placed. The invention can be placed broadly into a media presentation stream, such as set top boxes, network enabled game consoles, such as a Sony PlayStation, remote controls, and the like..."
"Information in the form of emotional responses to a media presentation may be passively collected, for example by a microphone and/or a camera..."
It's the fact that 'PlayStation' is mentioned by name and that 'microphone and/or a camera' is used as a phrase, that appears to have instigated the 'new controller' news stories.
On the tedious old fact side, the use of 'passively', the fact that SCEA is not mentioned in the patent, and the line that says, "The invention need not be limited to audio-visual presentations. For example, if a song is played and a person is smiling or if he is singing along with the song, then the invention is used to capture that useful information", all seem to have passed people by.
More worryingly, if you're a reader of dystopian fiction, is the line: "As a result, an analyst can ask, for example, "Go back to the emotion. What makes these people laugh?" The invention can then return, for example, a histogram of the Top Ten things that caused this response. An analyst can then get to specific target markets, for example, to look at an average distribution within a particular age range with regard to the number-one, the number-two, three-, and four-ratings within the histogram. In this regard, the level of data mining provided in connection with this embodiment of the invention allows identification of any individuals who fall outside the standard distribution. Thus, the invention provides a form of focus group that is generated in real time based upon information that is passively captured and that identifies the reaction of one or more individuals to, for example, a media presentation."
So, the camera and the mic... just a way of collecting more data.
Companies:
SCEA
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Comments
Nockmey 17 Aug 2009 12:21
1/1
they are watching you....