Researchers develop technology that allows users to smile for interactions with a VR environment

Scientists have developed a new technology that allows users to interact in a virtual reality environment using only mouth gestures such as a smile. The proliferation of affordable virtual reality head- mounted displays provides users with realistic immersive visual experiences. [caption id=“attachment_4125091” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image: Getty Images[/caption] The team tested the application on a group of students. Once a user put on a head-mounted display, they were presented with a simplistic game. The objective of the game was to guide the players avatar around a forest and eat as many cakes as possible. Players had to select their movement direction using head rotation, move using mouth gestures and could only eat the cake by smiling. The system was able to describe and classify the users mouth movements, and it achieved high correct recognition rates. The system has also been demonstrated and validated through a real-time virtual reality application. “We hope to make this applicable to more than one person, maybe two. Think Skype interviews and communication,” said Lijun Yin, professor at Binghamton University. “Imagine if it felt like you were in the same geometric space, face to face, and the computer program can efficiently depict your facial expressions and replicate them so it looks real,” said Yin. Researchers believe that the technology is applicable to a plethora of fields. “The virtual world isn’t only for entertainment. For instance, health care uses VR to help disabled patients,” said Yin. “Medical professionals or even military personal can go through training exercises that may not be possible to experience in real life. This technology allows the experience to be more realistic,” he said.