Facial recognition applications and data mining are now moving deeper into the realm of tiny expressions we make without perhaps being aware, but nevertheless can be identified, tracked and exploited through a “Micro-Expression Recognition System”

“Micro-expressions–involuntary, fleeting facial movements that reveal true emotions–hold valuable information for scenarios ranging from security interviews and interrogations to media analysis. They occur on various regions of the face, last only a fraction of a second, and are universal across cultures. In contrast to macro-expressions like big smiles and frowns, micro-expressions are extremely subtle and nearly impossible to suppress or fake. Because micro-expressions can reveal emotions people may be trying to hide, recognizing micro-expressions can aid DoD forensics and intelligence mission capabilities by providing clues to predict and intercept dangerous situations. This blog post, the latest highlighting research from the SEI Emerging Technology Center in machine emotional intelligence, describes our work on developing a prototype software tool to recognize micro-expressions in near real-time.”