According to the World Health Organization, nearly 500 million people worldwide suffer from stress. It has chronic effects and can deteriorate one’s emotional, physical and mental stability. Stress reduces our sleeps, makes us frustrating, decreases our productivity and these factors affect our growth.

We use to react very differently when we are stressed. Our emotional reactions use to control our behavior. We react in a bad manner. We tend to get angry and that uses to complicate situations and sometimes make them worst.

Psychologists suggest that self awareness can help a person to overcome stress and its negative consequences. To be self-aware is to be emotionally intelligent. When we know that we are under stress, we can take measures to overcome it. We can build better relations and get along with people well. You can read article by Michelle Gallinero about benefits of self awareness here.

To help you to become self aware, Microsoft is working on a mood driven device that works based on your emotional state. A patent application has been filed by Microsoft that is delineating this concept.

This mood driven device will notify you about your emotional state, and enables you to alter this state through self awareness. You can listen to music or can have a cup of coffee with your team mate or friends so that you can make the stress to flee.

Under the Hood of Mood Actuated Device

The device consists of micro-controller, bio-sensors, camera and the flexible material. The flexible material is configured to be controlled by the micro-controller.

According to the patent application Microsoft will be using bio sensors like heart rate monitors, electrocardiography monitor etc to determine the emotional state of a user. These bio sensors will be present in a wearable device like watch or a wrist band. They will sense the emotional state of a user when any of the parameter will change. For example, heart rate monitor will sense the change in heartbeats of a user and will pass this information to the micro controller.

A camera can also be used to determine that a user is stressed based on the position of the user’s eyebrows. Similarly, a microphone can determine that a person is stressed based on a tone his/her voice.

How Microsoft Mood-Driven Device Works

The Bio-sensors or camera senses the mood of a user and send that information to the micro-controller. The Micro-controller changes the wires of the device to different shapes depending upon the mood of the user.

For example, the micro-controller changes the wires into a flat shape when the emotional state of the user is relaxed and to a crumpled shape when the emotional state of the user is stressed (as shown in pic).

The Robotic Butterfly of Microsoft

The patent application also suggests that Microsoft will work on a robotic butterfly that will behave based on your mood.

The robotic butterfly by Microsoft will move its wings according to your emotional state. For example, a gentle hover of wings by the butterfly may represent calm state. And, fast and large flaps of wings may represent a stressed state.

The speed of wing flaps of butterfly will increase be increased or decreased depending upon the mood or the level of stress.

Microsoft is one of major player in gaming domain and we think that they are going to use this technology with their Xbox gaming consoles. This technology suggests that Microsoft has a potential to bring a completely new set of mood based games.

Who knows that Microsoft may use this mood sensing technology to build a new feature for next version of windows in which our webcam will sense our mood and based on that the desktop wallpaper will be changed into crumpled state or something similar.

What do you think – what else Microsoft can do this this tech and where and how they can implement it? We are waiting for your responses. The comment box is waiting . 🙂