OPTICAL EXPRESSION DETECTION

Some embodiments are directed to a biometric authentication system including headwear having a plurality of biosensors each configured to sample muscle activity so as to obtain a respective time-varying signal, a data store for storing a data set representing characteristic muscle activity for one or more users, and a processor configured to process the time-varying signals from the biosensors in dependence on the stored data set so as to determine a correspondence between a time-varying signal and characteristic muscle activity of one of the one or more users, and in dependence on the determined correspondence, authenticate the time-varying signals as being associated with that user. 1. A system for detecting facial muscle activity comprising:wearable apparatus including a plurality of optical flow sensors each located so as to, in use when the apparatus is worn, image an area of skin associated with one or more facial muscles, each optical flow sensor being configured to capture time-varying data describing movement of the respective area of skin substantially in the plane of the imaged area of skin; anda processor configured to process the time-varying data in dependence on a predetermined dataset relating facial muscle activity to movement of the areas of skin so as to determine activity of the set of facial muscles.2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of optical flow sensors are located at the wearable apparatus so as to claim 1 , in use when the apparatus is worn claim 1 , image an area of skin overlying or adjacent to an insertion point of at least one of the one or more associated facial muscles.3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the time-varying data includes one or more of: vector information describing the magnitude and direction of movement of the area of skin; and a time series of images of the area of skin.4. The system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the time-varying data includes a time series of ...

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING BIOLOGICAL ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY

Apparatus for measuring biological electrical activity, comprising: a plurality of sensors adapted for contact with a human or animal body; a signal injector configured to inject a reference signal into the body, the reference signal having a frequency substantially different to frequencies characteristic of the biological electrical activity; a lift-detection unit configured to receive signals from the plurality of sensors and, in dependence on the magnitude of the reference signal detected by each sensor, form a measure of the degree of contact between each respective sensor and the body; and a noise calculation unit configured to form an active cancellation signal by combining the signals detected by the sensors in dependence on their respective measures of the degree of contact with the body and to cause the signal injector to inject the active cancellation signal into the body. 1. An apparatus for measuring biological electrical activity , the apparatus comprising:a plurality of sensors adapted for contact with a human or animal body;a signal injector configured to inject a reference signal into the body, the reference signal having a frequency substantially different to frequencies characteristic of the biological electrical activity;a lift-detection unit configured to receive signals from the plurality of sensors and, in dependence on the magnitude of the reference signal detected by each sensor, form a measure of the degree of contact between each respective sensor and the body; anda noise calculation unit configured to form an active cancellation signal by combining the signals detected by the sensors in dependence on their respective measures of the degree of contact with the body and to cause the signal injector to inject the active cancellation signal into the body.2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the noise calculation unit is configured to form the active cancellation signal by forming a weighted average of the signals detected by the ...

Method and apparatus for measuring biological electrical activity

Apparatus for measuring biological electrical activity, comprising: a plurality of sensors adapted for contact with a human or animal body; a signal injector configured to inject a reference signal into the body, the reference signal having a frequency substantially different to frequencies characteristic of the biological electrical activity; a lift-detection unit configured to receive signals from the plurality of sensors and, in dependence on the magnitude of the reference signal detected by each sensor, form a measure of the degree of contact between each respective sensor and the body; and a noise calculation unit configured to form an active cancellation signal by combining the signals detected by the sensors in dependence on their respective measures of the degree of contact with the body and to cause the signal injector to inject the active cancellation signal into the body.

Optical expression detection

Some embodiments are directed to a biometric authentication system including headwear having a plurality of biosensors each configured to sample muscle activity so as to obtain a respective time-varying signal, a data store for storing a data set representing characteristic muscle activity for one or more users, and a processor configured to process the time-varying signals from the biosensors in dependence on the stored data set so as to determine a correspondence between a time-varying signal and characteristic muscle activity of one of the one or more users, and in dependence on the determined correspondence, authenticate the time-varying signals as being associated with that user.

Optical expression detection

A system for detecting facial muscle activity comprising: wearable apparatus comprising a plurality of optical flow sensors each located so as to, in use when the apparatus is worn, image an area of skin associated with one or more facial muscles, each optical flow sensor being configured to capture time- varying data describing movement of the respective area of skin substantially in the plane of the imaged area of skin; and a processor configured to process the time-varying data in dependence on a predetermined dataset relating facial muscle activity to movement of the areas of skin so as to determine activity of the set of facial muscles.

Optical expression detection

Some embodiments are directed to a biometric authentication system including headwear having a plurality of biosensors each configured to sample muscle activity so as to obtain a respective time-varying signal, a data store for storing a data set representing characteristic muscle activity for one or more users, and a processor configured to process the time-varying signals from the biosensors in dependence on the stored data set so as to determine a correspondence between a time-varying signal and characteristic muscle activity of one of the one or more users, and in dependence on the determined correspondence, authenticate the time-varying signals as being associated with that user.

Optical expression detection

Some embodiments are directed to a biometric authentication system including headwear having a plurality of biosensors each configured to sample muscle activity so as to obtain a respective time-varying signal, a data store for storing a data set representing characteristic muscle activity for one or more users, and a processor configured to process the time-varying signals from the biosensors in dependence on the stored data set so as to determine a correspondence between a time-varying signal and characteristic muscle activity of one of the one or more users, and in dependence on the determined correspondence, authenticate the time-varying signals as being associated with that user.

Method and apparatus for measuring biological electrical activity

Apparatus for measuring biological electrical activity, comprising: a plurality of sensors adapted for contact with a human or animal body; a signal injector configured to inject a reference signal into the body, the reference signal having a frequency substantially different to frequencies characteristic of the biological electrical activity; a lift-detection unit configured to receive signals from the plurality of sensors and, in dependence on the magnitude of the reference signal detected by each sensor, form a measure of the degree of contact between each respective sensor and the body; and a noise calculation unit configured to form an active cancellation signal by combining the signals detected by the sensors in dependence on their respective measures of the degree of contact with the body and to cause the signal injector to inject the active cancellation signal into the body.

Method and apparatus for determining a measure of contact of EMG sensors

A measure of contact of an electromyographic (EMG) sensor 102 with the skin of a human or animal subject is measured by receiving EMG data, calculating spectral entropy of the data over a first time period in a predetermined frequency band, determine a measure of contact based on the spectral entropy, and processing the data based on the measure of contact. The spectral entropy may be determined by calculating the Shannon entropy of a power distribution of the EMG sensor signal. A high degree of spectral entropy may be indicative of poor contact and low spectral entropy indicative of good contact. Processing the data may include discarding data if the measure of contact is below a first threshold, or marking the data as unreliable and down-weighting it if the contact is below a second threshold. The sensors 102 may be positioned on facewear such as glasses 200 for determining facial muscle activity.

Optical expression detection

Some embodiments are directed to a biometric authentication system including headwear having a plurality of biosensors each configured to sample muscle activity so as to obtain a respective time-varying signal, a data store for storing a data set representing characteristic muscle activity for one or more users, and a processor configured to process the time-varying signals from the biosensors in dependence on the stored data set so as to determine a correspondence between a time-varying signal and characteristic muscle activity of one of the one or more users, and in dependence on the determined correspondence, authenticate the time-varying signals as being associated with that user.

Optical expression detection

Optical flow sensor muscle detection

A system for detecting facial muscle activity comprises wearable apparatus comprising an optical flow sensor 100 located so that when the apparatus is worn the sensor images an area of skin associated with one or more facial muscles. The optical flow sensor is configured to capture data describing movement of the area of skin substantially in the plane of the skin. The optical flow sensor is configured to receive light from a plurality of areas of skin 901, 902 over one or more waveguides 906, 907. The wearable apparatus further comprises an optical switch 905 which alternately provides light from the light guides for at least two the plurality of areas of skin to the optical flow sensor, the optical switch being synchronised with the sampling rate of the sensor so that the optical flow sensor is configured to alternately sample different areas of skin. The wage guides may be one or more optic fibres.

Optical expression detection

Optical expression detection

A system for detecting facial muscle activity comprising: wearable apparatus comprising an optical flow sensor located so as to, in use when the apparatus is worn, image an area of skin associated with one or more facial muscles, each optical flow sensor being configured to capture time-varying data describing movement of the respective area of skin substantially in the plane of the imaged area of skin wherein the optical flow sensor is configured to receive light from a plurality of areas of skin over one or more optical fibres; and wherein the wearable apparatus further comprises an optical switch configured to alternately provide light received from each of at least two of the plurality of areas of skin to the optical flow sensor, the optical switch being synchronised with the sampling rate of the optical flow sensor such that the optical flow sensor is configured to alternately sample different areas of skin.

Optical expression detection

A system for detecting facial muscle activity comprising: wearable apparatus comprising a plurality of optical flow sensors each located so as to, in use when the apparatus is worn, image an area of skin associated with one or more facial muscles, each optical flow sensor being configured to capture time-varying data describing movement of the respective area of skin substantially in the plane of the imaged area of skin; and a processor configured to process the time-varying data in dependence on a predetermined dataset relating facial muscle activity to movement of the areas of skin so as to determine activity of the set of facial muscles.