Worry you're too boring on a first date? A new gadget may be able to help

It is, for some, perhaps a frequent problem; how to stop yourself being too boring on a first date.

But now, those who struggle to know when a conversation is faltering may be in luck as scientists have developed a gadget which uses artificial intelligence to assess the tone of a meeting.

Scientist Tuka Al Hanai

Researchers say the wristband-type device, which can already differentiate between happy, sad or neutral discussions, could be installed in watches or smartphones, notifying the user with a vibration if they are being too awkward.

The team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said, in the future, this could amount to the device being used during a date or interview, or by those who have conditions such as autism. 

Tuka Al Hanai, one of the team, said the technology could develop into an “personal social coach”.

“Imagine if, at the end of a conversation, you could rewind it and see the moments when the people around you felt the most anxious,” she said.

“Our work is a step in this direction, suggesting that we may not be that far away from a world where people can have an intelligence social coach right in their pocket - a judgmental, objective, personal social coach.”

Currently, the gadget works by using sensors to collect data on the user’s heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and movement.

The technology also evaluates the pitch, energy levels and vocabulary of the user’s conversation by assessing how much they pause, fidget and touch their face.

Researchers hope that future editions of the gadget will not only assess the user’s behaviour but also the habits of those they are with to give a more accurate evaluation of each communication.

Ms Al Hanai added: "Our next step is to improve the algorithm so that it is more accurate at calling out boring, tense, and excited moments, rather than just labelling interactions as positive or negative."