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Face Coder Product Preview

We don’t ordinarily talk about features under development, but today’s post comes from one of our internal product teams providing a very special sneak peek at an upcoming MATLAB feature.

There are 42 muscles in the human face. When different combinations of these muscles are flexed to varying degrees, a single face can take on millions of different positions. While even the most skilled experts can’t discern what someone is thinking based on their facial expressions, computers can build models based on the aggregation of billions of data points.

MATLAB already has a host of tools to build machine learning models and process big data. It also has the ability to identify and track human faces and facial features. Bringing all these technologies together, we’ve built a revolutionary tool that will change the way you use MATLAB. It’s called Face Coder, and early trials have shown promising results.

To use Face Coder, all you have to do is set up a webcam and look at your computer screen. Instead of having to type all your code out by hand, a slow and error-prone process, MATLAB will interpret your facial expressions and automatically generate the code you intend to write.

Most of our Beta feedback has been very positive:

  • “Face Coder has changed the way I write code. I can stare at my screen for hours thinking about MATLAB and never have to wait for my fingers to catch up to my thoughts.”
  • “With Face Coder, I feel a much closer connection to my computer. It’s almost as if MATLAB can read my mind.”
  • “I hope Face Coder will come out on MATLAB Mobile. I love to code, but I also love to maintain an active lifestyle. My dream is to someday be able to write code while I’m out cycling or kayaking.”

But other feedback has shown that we still have some work left to do:

  • “I often get distracted while I’m working. With Face Coder, I sometimes refocus on my work only to find that MATLAB has typed out my thoughts about bills I need to pay or what I want to eat for lunch.”
  • “Much of my work is classified, and it would be dangerous if unauthorized persons gained access to my MATLAB code. Therefore, I’m concerned that this feature will be a security vulnerability. I’ll need to wear sunglasses or a mask while programming to prevent anyone from recording and then interpreting my face.”

Though Face Coder is not yet available, all the technologies it’s built on are available in current MATLAB tools. These include:

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