The new development from Fraunhofer IIS is the first emotion recognition software in the world to function in real-time with Google Glass. This opens up an entire spectrum of new smart eyewear applications, including communication aids for people with disorders such as autism, many of whom have difficulty interpreting emotions through facial expressions.

This missing information could be superimposed in the person's field of vision with data glasses. Even the visually impaired can benefit from the new software by receiving supplementary audio information about people in their surroundings. By taking advantage of the additional capability to determine someone's gender or estimate their age, the software could be used in other applications such as interactive games or market research analyses.

The basis: SHORE™ face detection and analysis software

By participating in the Google Glass “Explorer Program”, Fraunhofer IIS had the opportunity to test the smart eyewear before it was introduced to the market. The Google Glass app was made possible by adapting and implementing the Fraunhofer IIS SHORE™ software library as Glassware.

SHORE™ is the culmination of years of R&D work in the field of intelligent systems, which resulted in the creation of a highly-efficient real-time C++ software library. The software enables the detection of objects and faces, as well as detailed facial analyses. Because of the high degree of optimization, it can be adapted to nearly any platform and operating system, especially mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Fraunhofer researchers also have extensive experience in the development of miniaturized and intelligent cameras and the corresponding algorithms. This know-how was a major factor in the high-performance development of the SHORE™-based Google Glass app.

Follow the link below to view a demonstration video of the app:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suc5B79qjfE

Further information about SHORE™ is available here:
www.iis.fraunhofer.de/shore