Picard is credited with starting the branch of computer science known as affective computing with the publication of Affective Computing. This textbook described the importance that recognizing human emotions has to relationships between people, and the possible effects of such recognition by robots. Her work in this field has led to an expansion into autism research and developing devices that could help humans recognize nuances in human emotions.
Rosalind Picard
Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the MIT Media Lab, and co-director of the Things That Think Consortium.