Using Facial Micro-Expressions in Combination With EEG and Physiological Signals for Emotion Recognition. 2022

Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
Empathic Computing Laboratory, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Emotions are multimodal processes that play a crucial role in our everyday lives. Recognizing emotions is becoming more critical in a wide range of application domains such as healthcare, education, human-computer interaction, Virtual Reality, intelligent agents, entertainment, and more. Facial macro-expressions or intense facial expressions are the most common modalities in recognizing emotional states. However, since facial expressions can be voluntarily controlled, they may not accurately represent emotional states. Earlier studies have shown that facial micro-expressions are more reliable than facial macro-expressions for revealing emotions. They are subtle, involuntary movements responding to external stimuli that cannot be controlled. This paper proposes using facial micro-expressions combined with brain and physiological signals to more reliably detect underlying emotions. We describe our models for measuring arousal and valence levels from a combination of facial micro-expressions, Electroencephalography (EEG) signals, galvanic skin responses (GSR), and Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals. We then evaluate our model using the DEAP dataset and our own dataset based on a subject-independent approach. Lastly, we discuss our results, the limitations of our work, and how these limitations could be overcome. We also discuss future directions for using facial micro-expressions and physiological signals in emotion recognition.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
October 2025, Sensors (Basel, Switzerland),
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
January 2012, Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference,
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
January 2021, Frontiers in psychology,
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
January 2017, Computational intelligence and neuroscience,
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
July 2018, Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference,
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
July 2025, Scientific reports,
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
May 2019, Sensors (Basel, Switzerland),
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
October 2022, Computers in biology and medicine,
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
October 2025, Sensors (Basel, Switzerland),
Nastaran Saffaryazdi, and Syed Talal Wasim, and Kuldeep Dileep, and Alireza Farrokhi Nia, and Suranga Nanayakkara, and Elizabeth Broadbent, and Mark Billinghurst
June 2018, Sensors (Basel, Switzerland),
Copied contents to your clipboard!