We, in tech and marketing companies, are fully aware of how difficult it can be to have to advertise our products, and come up with catchy ads for media so that they attract the desired attention. Sometimes, it all comes down to a matter of guessing what will deem interesting to others, based on what would catch our own eye. Well, what if there was a device that could detect what particular ads will attract attention based on one’s body language, and other small cues?

Microsoft’s (News - Alert) new patent application may set the future of advertising by doing just that.  The new Kinect contains a camera, which can capture images and uses mathematics to derive motion capture information based on what it sees. It then utilizes that information to create feedback based on whatever software you happen to be using. This piece of technology could create a more efficient way for Microsoft to target their ads to users, in that the camera could be used to capture one’s reaction to a particular advertisement, thus determining whether or not they would purchase the item viewed.

Based on a recent patent of the application, it is claimed that the technology would be “ a computer-implemented method to determine emotional states of users that receive advertisements on client devices, the method comprising: monitoring a user’s online activity during the time period; receiving an indication of the user’s reaction to the content; and assigning an emotional state to the user based on the tone of the content and the indication of the user’s reaction to the content.”

This technological advance to advertising could be exactly what Microsoft needs to help launch its products, and receive responses from users based on its ability to read, and interpret the customer’s overall reactions. Given a particular advertisement to view, the Kinect will capture one’s emotional response, whether intrigued or displeased by the ad, and immediately analyze your likeliness for purchasing the product.

Microsoft has developed the idea to use this application for gamers, specifically Xbox 360 players, although it is certain that many users would not appreciate such a giant corporation spying on their gaming experience, just to taper into which advertisements would give them thrill, however eavesdropping should be the least of their concerns, since this kind of mood-recognition technology is most likely to be a vital aspect of our imminent future.