Shafiq ur Réhman, a doctoral student at Umeå University in Sweden has unveiled his thesis project, a technology that converts facial emotions into special tactile sensations for the visually impaired. The system uses a webcam to capture faces, and then subsequently converts the captured emotion into a series of vibrations that correspond with the expressed emotion. The users are expected to train themselves by making their own faces into the webcam and getting a feel for how the vibrations change with the faces they're making.
The technology has been granted a patent and reportedly will be brought to market in the near future.
Press release: New technology helps visually impaired to 'see' emotions
(Hat Tip: PopSci)
Image credit: daveograve @ flickr