Facial

When it comes to ultra-humanlike Westworld-style robots, one of their most defining features are lips that move in perfect sync with their spoken words. A new bot not only sports that feature, but it can actually train itself to speak like a person.

In a breakthrough that isn't at all creepy, scientists have devised a method of anchoring living human skin to robots' faces. The technology could actually have some valuable applications, beyond making Westworld-like scenarios a reality.

Two new technologies allow a single pair of glasses to track eye movements and read the wearer's facial expressions, respectively. The systems use sonar instead of cameras, for better battery life and increased user privacy.

If humanoid robots are ever going to fully integrate in society, they're going to need to get good at reading our emotional states and responding appropriately. A new wearable from researchers in Korea could help them do just that.

While some assistance is available to individuals who lack the power of speech, verbally communicating with other people can still be challenging. A new face-worn strain sensor could help, as it's able to "read" the wearer's silently mouthed words.

Engineers at Cornell University have developed a new wearable device that can monitor a person’s facial expressions through sonar and recreate them on a digital avatar. Removing cameras from the equation could alleviate privacy concerns.

When you played with action figures, you probably tried picturing yourself having the same adventures they were. Well, doing so is about to become easier, as Hasbro is offering to a put a 3D-printed miniature copy of your face on one of its figures.

Although there are various systems that detect quadriplegics' head movements, most such setups are limited to the control of wheelchairs. Such is not the case, however, with the MagTrack system.

If you smiled at someone and they didn't smile back, you'd probably find it off-putting. Well, that's what usually happens if you smile at a humanoid robot … but not in the case of the expression-mirroring EVA.

A new AI-based system is able to ascertain which facial features are found most attractive by individual people. It can then create computer-generated faces combining those qualities.

As many of us know from personal experience, accessing a smartphone's touchscreen can be difficult when your hands are full. That's why scientists have developed a hands-free system that lets you control a phone via facial gestures – and those gestures are detected in your ear.

Soon, movie directors may likewise be able to alter an actor's facial expressions after their performance has been shot. They could do so using FaceDirector, a program created through a collaboration between Disney Research Zurich and the University of Surrey.