How's Your Date Going? Just Ask The Table

Computers have already relieved their human creators of plenty of mental chores, such as doing their taxes and keeping track of their appointments. But what about reading a date’s signals at dinner? We all know body language says far more than words ever can. However, sometimes we miss the little signs or completely misread the message being conveyed all together! Does he like me, like me? Or is he just not that into me? He’s leaning in. He’s nodding his head. That means he’s interested in me and what I have to say, right? Or is he just trying to get closer to his dinner plate to stuff his face, while politely nodding his head as if he were listening, but instead just trying to block out every word I say so he can enjoy his 12oz steak in peace? Girls overanalyze. They obsess! Well to be fair, we guys sometimes do it too. So wouldn’t it be nice to get an outsider’s opinion on the situation, without having to excuse yourself to the bathroom so you can call your roommate up? If you ever wanted to know how your date was going without having to leave the dinner table, then you’re in luck! Introducing the EyeTable.

Three undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon University have applied computer technology to the science of romance with their EyeTable, an artificially intelligent dinner table that reads physical gestures and speech patterns that lets the participants know how the date is going - in real time! Here’s how it works...

EyeTable’s centerpiece is a pair of motion sensors that communicate with sensors attached to a headset worn by each participant. (I know, not sexy and a total mood killer, but just overlook that part for now.) The table analyzes the movements and orientation of the participants’ heads. It senses whether they are making eye contact or glancing restlessly around the room, whether they’re drifting into more intimate proximity with one another or leaning apart. The headsets are also equipped with microphones that register levels of enthusiasm in the couple’s dialogue, as well as the frequency and length of awkward silences. I’m not sure if it measures comfortable silences, but it should! A comfortable silence is the BEST sign you can get on a date! Well, other than her just jumping your bones. That kind of says a lot too.

The EyeTable isn’t just an armchair analysis, it’s also a wingman. If it senses a date is going well, it might suggest an index of post-dinner activities, or tip off the waiter that the table might enjoy another bottle of wine. If it senses the date is doomed, it conveniently lists the numbers for local cab companies.

Amusing as it is in concept, the practical applications of the EyeTable prototype are limited. After all, live feedback could easily have the effect of making a bad date worse. Or if could derail a potentially good one, especially since subjects behave differently when they know they are being studied. Also, headsets with motion sensors and microphones? As I stated earlier, unless you are James Bond or a pilot flying a Boeing 787, not sexy and a total mood killer. Although I suppose an exception could be made if the two of you have some type of role playing geek fetish you want to act out. Personally, that scares me, but to each their own.

Regardless, revolutionizing the dating scene wasn’t the three CMU students’ goal. It’s just a proof-of-concept that they hope will inspire others to think about how computers can understand human emotions. Now if we can only get the table to do the dirty breakup work for you. If it could deliver that dreaded speech, I would buy two and keep one as a backup...in case the girl gets really pissed, goes all psycho on you and smashes the first table to bits.