Walyou

Software Analyzes Face Videos to Determine Pain Levels

Posted: 03 Jun 2015 05:30 AM PDT

Pain Assessment Computer Vision Algorithm

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have developed a computer vision algorithm that assesses pain depending on the facial expression of the patient during surgical procedures.

“On a scale from 1 to 10, how badly does it hurt?” is a question clinicians ask both children and adult patients when they are required to assess the pain level. However, we all perceive pain differently, and certain problems can mask the real answer. Determining the actual pain level should encourage the medical personnel to look for solutions to alleviate the ache. Until we get our own Baymax healthcare companion, a pain assessing computer vision algorithm might be our best chance.

To determine whether the software can correctly identify pain levels, the team of researchers tested it on kids five to 18 years old. Depending on their facial expression after a laparoscopic appendectomy, the software generated a result that was then compared to what the kids’ parents and nurses concluded. Needless to say, the computer vision algorithm is at least as accurate as nurses, so it shouldn’t take long until it is implemented on a larger scale.

Here is a fragment of the abstract published in journal Pediatrics:

“METHODS: A CVML-based model for assessment of pediatric postoperative pain was developed from videos of 50 neurotypical youth 5 to 18 years old in both endogenous/ongoing and exogenous/transient pain conditions after laparoscopic appendectomy. Model accuracy was assessed for self-reported pain ratings in children and time since surgery, and compared with by-proxy parent and nurse estimates of observed pain in youth.

RESULTS: Model detection of pain versus no-pain demonstrated good-to-excellent accuracy (Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.84–0.94) in both ongoing and transient pain conditions. Model detection of pain severity demonstrated moderate-to-strong correlations (r = 0.65–0.86 within; r = 0.47–0.61 across subjects) for both pain conditions. The model performed equivalently to nurses but not as well as parents in detecting pain versus no-pain conditions, but performed equivalently to parents in estimating pain severity. Nurses were more likely than the model to underestimate youth self-reported pain ratings. Demographic factors did not affect model performance.”

It won’t be long until such software makes its way into our homes, as hospitals are not the only environment where this could prove useful. The only possible problem is if the subject fakes the facial expression to trick the software.

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Games and DLCs Are Now Refundable on Steam

Posted: 02 Jun 2015 12:57 PM PDT

Valve’s OS and hardware have yet to go mainstream, but that doesn’t make the company’s digital distribution platform any less great. What good to buy countless games, though, if it’s impossible to get your money back after discovering that some of them are unsatisfactory?

The Bellevue, Washington corporation is looking for new ways to make its customers happy. After all, if a gamer asks for a refund when a game or DLC is not to his liking, there are great chances that the money will eventually be spent on another game, so there’s no loss for Valve there. To make sure that people won’t abuse the new Steam refund policy, Valve has put some rules into place, and has even launched a dedicated page for Steam Refunds.

First of all, gamers who want to get a refund must not play the game for more than two hours. I’d say that two hours are more than enough to figure out whether you like a game or not, but I’d advise you to play the game right after purchasing it or as soon as possible after that. The reason why I’m suggesting this is that you can qualify for a refund if you apply for it within a fortnight after purchasing the game. Again, that’s a very reasonable timeframe.

So how does this work for DLCs, if you’ve played the base game for more than two hours (or have even finished it, for that matter)? The rule is simple, in this case, too. After applying the DLC, you shouldn’t play the game for more than two hours, if you want a refund.

Steam’s new refund policy goes way beyond games and DLCs. In-game purchases also qualify for refunds, assuming that you’re asking for them within 48 hours of purchase. Needless to say, the purchased item should not be altered in any way.

Enabling gamers to get refunds for the games they don’t like is great news for several reasons. First of all, the money isn’t gone forever, and you don’t have to feel sorry for spending your hard-earned cash on something you don’t like. Secondly, this should encourage game publishers to optimize their games before launching them, so that gamers don’t end up frustrated while playing bug-ridden titles. People think that this measure should have been taken a long time ago, but I guess it’s better later than never.

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