British and American scientists have developed a computer that can analyse facial movements to determine moods.

According to a Reuters report, the computer has been programmed to recognise different facial expressions from actors. Professor Peter Robinson of the University of Cambridge hopes that the computer will be able to recognise more sophisticated expressions like whether someone is bored, or agrees or disagrees.

The technology is being showcased for 4 days at an exhibition organised by the Royal Society.

The scientist behind the system hope that in the future, devices like mobile phones, cars, and web sites will be able to read our body language and respond accordingly.

Robinson suggest it could be used in online teaching to determine if a student is grasping the information, or in cars to check the driver's state of mind while driving.

"We are working with a big car company and they envision this being employed in cars within five years", said Robinson.