Prof Wei has passed that technique on to several friends and colleagues who teach at universities across China, and he now hopes his more recent ‘emotion-analysing proto-type’ could be put to wider use.
“It can be used for a range of social sciences, psychological work and by educational researchers,” he said.
The use of facial recognition is becoming increasingly common in China. Uber introduced the technology into its operations in the country in April – in what the company said was a first for the global ride-hailing industry.
Last year China unveiled the world’s first facial recognition ATM, which backers said would “ensure the greater security of card owners".
Additional reporting by Christine Wei