Emotionally Sensitive G.P.S.

Navigation devices in the future could be smart enough to know when they have upset the driver and react accordingly. Prof Peter Robinson, head of emotional robotics at Cambridge University, is working on devising a generation of smart computers which will be able to detect and react to users’ moods. One application could be in a satnav systems which could use the technology to display some sympathy with a driver’s state of mind and react accordingly. “I love gadgets like GPS satellite navigation systems but I hate the fact they are so difficult to use, I think they were designed by sadists,” he said.