Headpiece Jabbing For Smiles

Happiness_Hat

[Lauren] has created a facial conditioning device dubbed the Happiness Hat. The hat measures a sensor at the wearer’s cheek to determine if the wearer is smiling. When the hat does detects the wearer is not smiling, it activates a servo that prods the wearer. This project is fairly unique in that it provides haptic bio-feedback of what the body is doing, a similar project to the Happillow. While the Happiness Hat seems to work for treating the outward symptoms of unhappiness, this is but an early step towards the droud.

33 thoughts on “Headpiece Jabbing For Smiles

  1. that hat needs to be destroyed right now. lest the design be intercepted and reproduced by retail stores like gamestop and apple that will force their miserable employees to wear them.

  2. Forced smile is worst than natural frown IMHO. I still like the idea though. Lauren’s expression was priceless when she forced a smile. It looks like this thing really hurts.

  3. The Mind Snatchers, here we come!

    Also… does this remind you of what the Assimilation Programs conducted by the US over Native People of the US area? Boarding schools…?

    Anyway… creepy shit, man.

  4. I can’t wait to lug 4 AA batteries, a 9volt cell AND a full arduino around on my head, just to make me put on a fake smile.
    [Lauren]’s really using her MIT experience to full effect.

  5. I bet this will be used to train stewardesses, and hostesses for various olympic games and such in those ‘friendly’ countries.

    They might consider bringing out a reverse version that punishes smiling too, it’ll sell.

  6. “An enclosed bend sensor attaches to the cheek and measures smile size, a servo motor moves a metal spike into the head inversely proportional to the degree of smile. Through repeated use of this conditioning device you can train your brain to smile all the time.

    A little creepy, and I’m sure there are better ways to “train your brain”, but it is a form of habit conditioning, and what she says is true. If you actually wore this device for say, 7 days straight, you would be smiling almost all the time even after the week was up, since your brain automatically learns that anything but smiling equals pain.

    I’m sure there are better ways to learn to smile then this though, like watching stupid people walk into things while texting!

  7. I think it would be nice if there was more control of the pain level, maybe electric shocks with varying levels of intensity. Several electrodes could be used such that you never know where the pain will cone from. Of course, even nicer would be a positive re-enforcement system that rewards you for smiling.

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