Affective Bandwidth Measurement Using Pupil Diameter Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current affective recognition technologies fail to accurately quantify and measure the level of pleasure or scope of emotions, leading to subjective and uncertain assessments of affective experiences, and existing methods for determining affective disorders lack direct association with mood, resulting in low recognition and accuracy.
Innovation Solution
The method introduces the concept of affective bandwidth, measuring positive, negative, and positive-negative affective bandwidths by analyzing pupil diameter changes during visual stimulation with specific image sets, using eye movement tracking to objectively quantify affective experiences and determine affective disorders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If subjective scoring methods are used to measure affective experience, then the measurement process is simple, but the measurement precision and reliability are low due to uncertainty and subjectivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective psychological scoring with objective physiological measurement by substituting the mechanical/subjective assessment system with an optical measurement system that tracks pupil diameter changes. This substitution eliminates human subjectivity while maintaining measurement simplicity through automated image analysis algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces pupil diameter as an intermediary physiological indicator that mediates between internal affective experience and external measurement. The pupil diameter changes serve as an objective proxy that translates subjective emotional states into measurable physical quantities, enabling precise quantification without direct subjective reporting.
2Reliability
If auxiliary scales and brain wave indexes are used for affective disorder determination, then the evaluation process is established, but the recognition accuracy is low due to lack of direct association with affective experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pupil diameter as a direct intermediary that is physiologically linked to affective experience through the autonomic nervous system. This intermediary provides a direct measurement pathway from emotional processing in the brain to observable physical changes, establishing both reliability and precision simultaneously by capturing real-time physiological responses to affective stimuli.
3Reliability
If pupil diameter changes are measured to indicate affective experience, then the measurement objectivity is improved, but the device complexity increases due to eye movement tracking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical eye tracking hardware with simplified optical imaging and image processing. Instead of using sophisticated eye trackers, the system uses standard cameras or sensors to capture pupil images and applies computational algorithms to measure pupil diameter, substituting mechanical complexity with computational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy or image of the pupil through optical imaging rather than directly measuring physical pupil dimensions. This copying approach allows the system to measure affective indicators through image analysis, reducing the need for complex direct measurement hardware while maintaining measurement accuracy through digital image processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach objectively measures affective bandwidth, overcoming the uncertainty of subjective scoring and improving the accuracy of affective disorder evaluation by comparing the subject's affective experiences with those of a healthy control group.
Implementation Method 1
the visual stimulation of positive emotions, such as joy and happiness, induces pleasant emotions, indicated by the expansion of the diameter of the pupils of the subject. In contrast, the visual stimulation of negative emotions, such as sorrow and fear, induces unpleasant emotions, indicated by the contraction of the diameter of the pupils of the subject
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to methods for measuring affective bandwidth of a subject (e.g., a human) and determining depression determination of the subject. The affective bandwidth measurement may include the following operations. For example, the subject may watch positive neutral and negative pictures for 8-10 seconds, respectively. Information for all fixation points may be obtained using an eye movement tracking device. Pupil diameter sizes of the subject while watching the positive, neutral and negative picture tasks may be calculated, and the affective bandwidth may be calculated. The affective bandwidth may include positive affective bandwidth (positive-neutral), negative affective bandwidth (negative-neutral) and positive-negative affective bandwidth (positive-negative) of the subject.