This brief news article describes a new technology direction which enables a digital painting to recognise a person's emotional state and respond accordingly. Developed jointly by a United Kingdom (University of Bath)/United States (Boston University) team, this new technology responds to an emerging market for tools to manage and manipulate digital photos.

The technology works as follows: As the artwork is viewed, a webcam positioned just above the picture captures the observer's face and deciphers the apparent emotional state of the viewer, allowing it to be analysed by a computer programme. Angry faces prompt an image with darker colours, applied in violent brush stokes; a happier person will see more vibrant shades.

The team said they hope their development will provide an illustration of how image psychology can be drawn upon to ascertain how the variations should correspond to emotional states. The image can then alter the look of the brushstrokes, background and colours to match disposition, which "results in a digital canvas that smoothly varies its colours and style, and provides a novel interactive artistic experience."