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Researchers are putting chips in children's dolls that can recognize up to eight emotions by facial recognition using AI algorithms, New Scientist reports.
How it works: The doll recognizes emotion through "a small camera" while running on battery. It doesn't need the internet to operate, unlike other "smart dolls," ensuring privacy by not sending information gathered by the doll to third-party servers for processing.
Why it matters: Oscar Deniz, the project leader at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Ciudad Real, Spain, told New Scientist: "In the near future, we will see a myriad of eyes everywhere that will not just be watching us, but trying to help us." He added: "Today we live in a world where devices are dumb. Tomorrow we will live in a world where devices can think."