Mood-actuated device

• US 9,104,231 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Roseway, Asta J., Davis, Felecia A., Carroll, Erin A., Czerwinski, Mary, Maclean, Diana L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/732,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20140085181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for implementing a mood-actuated device. In various embodiments, mood information corresponding to a current mood of a user is received. An emotional state of the user is determined based on the mood information, and a mood-actuated device is controlled to react based on the emotional state of the user. In some embodiments, the mood-actuated device includes a flexible material that is configured to react by changing to a shape based on the emotional state of the user.

Claims

1. A mood-actuated device, comprising:

a microcontroller configured to receive signals corresponding to an emotional state of a user; and

a flexible material configured to be controlled by the microcontroller to change to a shape based on the emotional state of the user, the flexible material comprising a fabric that is interlaced with wires that contract when heated, and the microcontroller configured to change the shape of the fabric by causing the wires to be heated or cooled;

the flexible material configured to be controlled by the microcontroller to change to a flat shape responsive to receiving signals indicating that the emotional state of the user is relaxed; and

the flexible material configured to be controlled by the microcontroller to change to a crumpled shape responsive to receiving signals indicating that the emotional state of the user is stressed.

2. The mood-actuated device as recited in claim 1, wherein the flexible material is configured to change to a shape based on the emotional state of the user by changing to a shape that indicates the emotional state of the user.

3. The mood-actuated device as recited in claim 1, wherein the flexible material is configured to change to a shape based on the emotional state of the user by changing to a shape that visually mirrors the emotional state of the user.

4. The mood-actuated device as recited in claim 1, wherein the mood-actuated device further includes a power source that is connected to the wires, and wherein the microcontroller causes the wires to be heated by turning on the power source, and causes the wires to be cooled by turning off the power source.

5. A method, comprising:

receiving mood information corresponding to a current mood of a user;

determining an emotional state of the user based at least in part on the mood information; and

causing a mood-actuated fabric to react based on the emotional state of the user, the causing comprising;

causing the mood-actuated fabric to change to a flat shape responsive to determining that the emotional state of the user is relaxed; and

causing the mood-actuated fabric to change to a crumpled shape responsive to determining that the emotional state of the user is stressed.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the mood information is received from one or more bio sensors.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the one or more bio sensors comprise at least one of a heart rate monitor, an electrocardiography monitor, or a galvanic skin response monitor.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the mood information is received from a mood-rating service that enables a user to rate the user'"'"'s current mood.

9. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the mood-actuated fabric is controlled to react by changing to a shape that indicates the emotional state of the user.

10. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the mood-actuated fabric is controlled to react by changing to a shape that visually mirrors the emotional state of the user.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the mood-rating service enables the user to rate the user'"'"'s current mood from negative valence to positive valence.

11. A computing device, comprising:

a display screen;

one or more processors; and

one or more memories comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, perform operations comprising;

causing display of a user interface on the display screen of the computing device that enables a user to rate a current mood of the user, wherein the user interface includes a grid that enables the user to rate the current mood of the user from negative valence to positive valence along a first axis and from excited to relaxed along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;

receiving, via the user interface, input indicating the current mood of the user; and

providing mood information, based on the input, to a controller effective to cause a mood-actuated device to react based on the mood information, wherein the mood-actuated device comprises a flexible fabric, and wherein the flexible fabric is configured to change to a flat shape when the mood information indicates that the user relaxed, and to change to a crumpled shape when the mood information indicates that the user is stressed.

12. The computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the providing further comprises providing the mood information to the controller effective to cause the mood-actuated device to react by changing to a shape that visually mirrors the current mood of the user.

14. The computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the flexible fabric is further configured to move with air pockets running through the flexible fabric to visually mirror happiness when the mood information indicates that the user is happy.

15. The computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the flexible fabric is further configured to droop to visually mirror sadness when the mood information indicates that the user is sad.