Earbud lets you control your phone with a wink or smile

Send a smiley with a smile. A prototype earbud can detect facial expressions and convert them into smartphone controls, like answering a phone call when you wink or launching Wikipedia when you open your mouth. It could be used by people with impaired movement or as a hands-free tool for drivers. "We're not trying to replace current input methods, just complement them," says Denys Matthies at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research in Rostock, Germany. You're not always able to take your phone out of your pocket or look down at the screen, but might still like to be able to pause your music or pick up a call, he says.