Mona Lisa happy, computer says
A computer has been used to decipher the mysterious smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Possibly the most famous portrait of all time, Mona Lisa’s expression has intrigued art lovers for five centuries. The painting was analysed by a University of Amsterdam computer using “emotion recognition” software. It concluded that the subject was 83% happy, 6% fearful and 2% angry, journal New Scientist was told. The computer read features such as the curvature of the lips and crinkles around the eyes. The programs, developed at the University of Illinois, draws on a database of young female faces to drive an average “neutral” expression. The software uses this average expression as a standard for comparisons. The New Scientist says that software capable of recognising emotions just by looking at photographs could lead to PCs that adjust their response on the user’s mood.
