Samsung experiments with control of VR interface with facial expression

Samsung has demonstrated FaceSense, a technique for operating a virtual reality interface with facial expressions via biometric signals. The project comes from Samsung’s C-Lab, which is experimenting with new techniques.

According to Samsung, FaceSense does not work with cameras, but with the help of ‘electrical signals’ that people emit when speaking and when changing their facial expression. Those biometric signals are used as input for navigating in a VR interface. Voice control can also be used.

Samsung does not provide any further technical details about the functioning of FaceSense in its announcement. The manufacturer demonstrated a prototype at the VRLA Expo 2017 in Los Angeles, but it is not known whether it was actually able to translate biometric signals into operation of the Gear VR headset.

FaceSense comes from Samsung’s C-Lab, the creative lab of the South Korean manufacturer, in which it experiments with all kinds of techniques. Samsung touts FaceSense as a potential method to operate a VR interface without requiring hand movements. This could come in handy in places where users have little freedom of movement, for example in a full plane.