Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings - io9 Comments

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

BritishTexan — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:28:21 PDT

Wow. I'm quite honestly shocked that no-one else picked up on this being a direct parallel to a device in the Neal Stephenson and J. Frederick George book Interface that does much the same thing.

BritishTexan

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

electronic shaman — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:34:37 PDT

simmo: that pic is awesome!

Ghede: I'm with you, could be handy in refining the ol' poker face

electronic shaman

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

Evil Tortie's Mom — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:50:39 PDT

@bnpederson: What about the sweaty people?

There's a fat guy in the next cubicle, and the scream he lets out every time his monitoring unit shocks him* is very disruptive to productivity. I think it scares the customers. They keep interrupting my script to ask "What's that? Is he okay?"

*summers only

Evil Tortie's Mom

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

simmo — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:07:57 PDT

did anyone else see this picture. I lol-ed!

[www.exmocare.com]

simmo

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

blurey — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:53:28 PDT

i love it! it would be the perfect thing to use on those that are under house arrest. i think it is a great idea. i would wear one if it meant getting paid more.-blurey

blurey

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

napthia9 — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:30:01 PDT

Well, as soon as they slap that thing on my wrist, I'll probably be mad as hell, so maybe they'll assume that's just my normal state.

napthia9

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

botanicidal — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:19:48 PDT

Forget surveillance cameras; big brother is 'feeling' you.

botanicidal

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

Jeff-Minor — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:06:09 PDT

As an employer, I just assume my emps are in a crappy mood, especially when I'm around.

Jeff-Minor

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

bnpederson — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:08:53 PDT

To: Evil Tortie's Mom
From: bnpederson@hr.evilcorporation.net
Subject: Re: Human Dignity Allowance

Thank you for showing interest in your employee rights here at EC!

I regret to inform you that "Human dignity" isn't one of the benefits of working as a Customer Service Representative for the EC family. However, as a CSR, you are given one (1) fifteen minute paid coffee break (daily), one (1) thirty minute unpaid lunch break (daily), two (2) restroom breaks* (daily), ten (10) paid vacation days (yearly), ten (10) paid sick days (yearly), and many more benefits**!

We appreciate your questions and want to assure you that you're a valued member of the corporate family. Any suggestions you make will be taken under advisement, so long as they do not exceed your allowance of fifteen (15) suggestions (yearly).

Sincerely,

Brian
Human Resources
Extension 1138
Operating hours 6:00 am - 3:00 pm

*Excessive use of restroom breaks may result in management consultation and/or disciplinary action(s). What constitutes "excessive use" is individually managed by your CSR Supervisor.

**Full listing of employee benefits can be accessed by submitting three (3) duplicate TK-421 forms to the Human Resources front desk during normal business hours. May take 3-6 weeks of processing.

bnpederson

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

Ghede — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:43:07 PDT

I want one. Not for employee monitoring, but for monitoring myself. It would be a nice training device. I shall learn to suppress emotion. It will come in handy when playing poker, and working in customer service.

Ghede

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

Counterglow — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:27:44 PDT

So how long 'til we hear those tired old arguments, "If you aren't doing anything wrong, what are you worried about", or "It's a free country, you don't have to work in a place that does this"? (As though every employer who can afford it won't want every employee wearing the thing 24-7).

This just plain creeps me out.

Counterglow

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

bookling — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:39:17 PDT

What an awful idea. Part of having customer service skills is being able to hide it when you're super pissed off at that asshole customer. Nobody I know is ever genuinely happy 100% of the time they are at work.

bookling

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

MaxTwice — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:55:33 PDT

@MaxTwice: *bad* not Bas (thats a director's name, isnt it?)

MaxTwice

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

MaxTwice — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:54:40 PDT

Oh hum. Bas press is good press, as they say~

MaxTwice

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

Munkles — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:19:51 PDT

I'm looking forward to setting up a secret, remote-access device to monitor and record the info this thing emits, all for myself. Then I can record how much unholy stress my boss puts me through, take it to a "sympathetic" doctor and lawyer, and sue the fuck out of him.

Munkles

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

gfburke — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:12:18 PDT

Those meditation lessons will come in handy!

gfburke

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

Evil Tortie's Mom — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:12:20 PDT

Wouldn't this discriminate against really sweaty people? Or women with hot flashes?

(Or, you know, HUMAN DIGNITY?)

Evil Tortie's Mom

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

bjarmson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:43:07 PDT

Hey, this is great. Now if they can just micro-miniaturize it and add a shock feature they can insert one into everyones brain so no one will ever have negative or antisocial/political thoughts again. "The future's so bright I gotta wear shades."

bjarmson

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

Christovir — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:36:41 PDT

I'm a little skeptical about the accuracy of its interpretation. While it is easy to determine general arousal, it is very difficult to gauge specific emotional states from heart rate, galvanic response, etc. Anger, surprise, and laughter can appear very similar when just looking physiological measures. I'm sure this device predicts better than chance, but I'm also sure it is incorrect often enough to make reliable interpretation and impossibility.

Christovir

Emotion-Tracking Wearable Device Lets Your Boss Monitor Your Feelings

Grey_Area — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:31:43 PDT

Very creepy, especially the online evaluation feature. I look forward to your follow-up, what other practical applications do they foresee, prisons?
My boss monitors my emotional state the old-fashioned way -- by the number of staplers I bounce off his pointed little head -- HAW! Take THAT weasel-boy!

dangnabit, missed.
Oh well, TGIF everybody.

Grey_Area