Scientists develop technology for remote registration of emotional state

Scientists of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Russia) have developed a technique for remote, non-contact registration of personal bioparameters, including those characterizing the cardiovascular system, respiratory system and nervous system. The most medically relevant are the heart rate, pressure, frequency and depth of breathing, and level of excitation of the peripheral nervous system. In all, it is possible to measure about 50 parameters, including the parameters of saccades – involuntary movements of the pupils and reaction to external stimuli.

With the help of special software, the analysis of this set of bioparameters allows physicians to make an objective conclusion about the current functional and emotional state of a person. The technology is based on the processing of acoustic and optical information of visible and infrared ranges in a completely passive mode. It means that the subject does not feel any external influence, as the technology records only natural radiation in these spectra.

The data allows physicians to improve the safety operation of dangerous objects – first and foremost, it's about NPPs, chemical production and high-speed vehicles − to a new technological level by continuous monitoring of the current state of control operators and timely identification of persons with inadequate behavior.

In addition, this technology will enhance the effectiveness of educational and training sessions through objective planning of training load, as well as implementation in practice of the so-called biological feedback, allowing the teacher to continuously monitor the current status of each student and to consider this information for a comprehensive evaluation of the obtained professional knowledge and skills.

The solution of the latter problem is of particular relevance in the training of people with disabilities, as well as foreign specialists, for whom language of training is not their native.

"The Department has developed a number of experimental models of software and hardware systems intended to solve problems of this class. The performed studies are complex and can be attributed to a breakthrough," said the Project Manager, leading researcher M. V. Alushin.

Currently the work is supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant "Risk reduction and reduction of consequences of industrial catastrophes due to minimization of human factor influence on reliability and trouble-free operation of nuclear power plants and other dangerous objects" and the Ministry of education and science in the framework of the competitive part of the government assignment for 2017-2019.

A recent publication on the development of new educational technologies is the article "Education technology with continuous real time monitoring of the current functional and emotional students" // AIP Conference Proceedings, 2017. Vol. 179.

More information:
Contact email: AVBalakireva@mephi.ru

Provided by National Research Nuclear University