Scientists invent 'sticker' said to reveal your true emotions no matter how hard you hide it

A team of researchers at Penn State (Pennsylvania State University) has developed a stretchable, rechargeable sticker that can detect real emotions by monitoring key body signals like skin temperature, humidity, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels (SpO₂). Their findings, published in Nano Letters, show that this wearable device could improve mental health assessments by analyzing multiple signals at the same time.

Even though stretchable electronics have advanced a lot for health applications, a big challenge has been avoiding interference when measuring different signals at once. To fix this, the Penn State team created a hybrid device with separate sensors and a wireless module for charging and transmitting data.

The sticker-like patch was designed to provide real-time emotion tracking while keeping measurements accurate and interference-free. Researchers also made sure it’s comfortable and compact.

Lead researcher Huanyu “Larry” Cheng explained why this approach is important: "Relying only on facial expressions to understand emotions can be misleading. People often don't visibly show how they truly feel, so that’s why we’re combining facial expression analysis with other physiological signals, which will ultimately lead to better mental health monitoring and support."

The device is built with stacked layers that help separate different measurements like temperature, strain, and humidity, so they don’t affect each other. The team also trained an AI model to analyze facial expressions and match them with body signals.

To test how well the AI could detect emotions, researchers recruited volunteers who acted out six common emotions—happiness, surprise, fear, sadness, anger, and disgust—100 times each. The AI correctly identified performed emotions 96.28% of the time and real emotions 88.83% of the time. The results suggest combining facial recognition with body signals could help distinguish between genuine feelings and those people try to hide.

Co-author Yangbo Yuan, a doctoral student at Penn State, pointed out the importance of this for mental health: "This technology has the potential to help people who are struggling with their mental health, but maybe aren’t being fully honest with others or even themselves about how much they are struggling."

Since the sticker can wirelessly send data to mobile devices and the cloud, healthcare providers could use it for remote monitoring and telemedicine. This means doctors could track a patient’s emotions and offer help without needing in-person visits.

Cheng believes this could be particularly useful for detecting anxiety or depression early. He also highlighted how cultural differences can affect emotional expression, and this device could help doctors better understand patients across different backgrounds.

The researchers think the technology could be useful beyond mental health, including:

• Helping non-verbal patients communicate their emotional state
• Tracking early signs of dementia
• Identifying opioid overdoses
• Monitoring neurodegenerative diseases and chronic wounds
• Improving athletic performance tracking

The Penn State team is looking at ways to expand the device’s AI-powered diagnostic capabilities beyond emotions. Over time, they believe it could play a major role in proactive mental health care, leading to more personalized support for patients.

Cheng summarized the bigger goal: "Given the rising stress levels in modern society, the ability to monitor emotions can provide early indicators of debilitating conditions and allow for proactive support." Thus, although still in development, this wearable technology is paving the way for more advanced and accessible mental health tracking.

Source: Penn State, ACS | Image via Depositphotos

This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor.

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