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October 4, 2013

Strange But True!

Q. Getting there fast is one thing, getting there in the best possible mood is quite another. How does Patent no. 8,364,395 try to help drivers do this?

A. It fuses advances in mapping and traffic data with those in mood detection to form “an emotionally integrated navigation system,” says Marisa Fessenden in Scientific American magazine. Route-planning to avoid tolls and traffic jams is straightforward enough; now new technologies can gauge mood via microphones to detect vocal stress in drivers asking for directions or screaming expletives. Sensors can also detect pulse rates and sweaty palms on the steering wheel, while other software can mine social-media streams for users' emotions and locations.


 
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