Leaked expressions captured with wearable high-resolution facial electromyography

Leaked expressions are expressions that are subtle micro-expressions, which are hard to detect. They may reflect a person's attempt to mask an expression (i.e., when interrogated), hide a feeling (i.e., in the context of dating or interpersonal dynamics), or simply an attempt to neutralize an emotion (i.e., as a method for regulation). The ability to detect these using biometric devices could surpass that of computer vision tools or human coders. In our investigation we demonstrated the ability to record highly localized and subtle leaked expressions using a new surface Electromyography (EMG) approach. The new method we present here may contribute in various domains ranging from generating reliable micro-expression datasets, enabling further research into the physiology of micro-expressions and possibly the development of better lie detectors.