15 Terrifying Technology Patents That Gave Us Knots In Our Stomachs

MoviePass is at it again, this time with a new twist that will have you keeping your eyes on the screen. If you want to use the digital currency earned by watching ads on their upcoming app to "buy" movies, you'll have to make sure MoviePass detects that you're actually paying attention. The eye-tracking software will pause if it doesn't detect your gaze fixed on the movie. And Amazon Ring wants in on the future of home security with facial recognition technology that would scan visitors for irises, skin texture and more before letting them in. If anyone deemed "suspicious" showed up, homeowners would be alerted or all doors in the house locked automatically. Disney, on the other hand, is working towards creating personalized experiences for visitors by way of virtual simulations displayed through custom images according to tracking devices worn by guests in their venues--a concept first imagined in 2006 by George Saunders' satirical fiction story entitled "My Flamboyant Grandson."
Amazon

Facebook just wants to make sure your messages have the right amount of sass.

This facial recognition software is patented for some creepy things, like deciding whether or not to grant access to people based on their face.

This is truly next-level couch potatoing: Sony developed a patent for a device that would detect your emotions while you're vegging out in front of the PlayStation.

Google can track your eye movements and match them with ads, as well as tell how you feel about an ad based on pupil dilation.

Microsoft

Microsoft has a new patent that would use sensors to detect when you're frustrated or stressed, and offer assistance.

Verizon


Google and Amazon want to make their virtual assistants into real-life spies.

This teddy bear is no ordinary stuffed animal--it's a Google-patented Wi-Fi device controller!

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Disney is working on a patent for virtual simulations that would be used in real-world venues, like their theme parks.

With Amazon Ring, your home will be a fortress, scanning visitors for facial recognition, irises, skin texture and more.

If you want to use MoviePass's digital currency to "buy" movies, you'll have to keep your eyes on the screen.
