Microsoft has applied for a
patent that will enable personal computers to monitor user
behaviour.
All of the technology in Microsoft's application for a system to
monitor group activities already exists. Microsoft appears to be
packaging it, adding a management and control system, and extending
it to include cell phones, pocket PC phones, PDAs, and compact
handheld PCs.
Microsoft's patent application aims "to facilitate managing and
optimising the utilisation of various system resources". It will be
able to capture work-related activity such as keystrokes,
information searches and activity likely to breach legal and
company regulations.
But it also wants to use wireless infra-red sensors to monitor
changes in workers' heart rates, blood pressure, galvanic
responses, body temperature and facial expressions. These changes
are the basis of polygraph or lie detector tests.
Next, it wants to match these physical changes to psychological
profiles such as those from
aMyers-Briggs exercise.
This could tell if you are stressed or frustrated.