Torchbearer Wang Sujing: Known as the "Chinese version of Hawking", she is studying micro-expression recognition of lies

This morning (March 4), the torch of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games was passed at the Beijing Municipal Cultural and Sports Guidance Center for the Disabled and other places. As a torchbearer, Wang Sujing, an associate researcher at the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, drove an electric scooter for the disabled with one hand and held the torch high with the other. The theme of this torch relay, "self-improvement", is the most vivid footnote of his life experience.

Wang Sujing is passing the torch. Courtesy of respondents

In 1976, Wang Sujing was born in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province. Due to her mother's difficult delivery, Wang Sujing had "sequelae of cerebral hypoxia" just after birth and was urgently rescued by the hospital. After escaping from the danger of his life, his grandfather named him "Su Jing". 甦 (sū) means resurrection from the dead, jing means the essence of grass and trees, and this name carries the good wishes and expectations of his family.

Wang Sujing can't stand upright on her legs from a young age, has to walk on a walker, can't hold objects with both hands, speaks hard and is confused, and always encounters unimaginable difficulties in learning. The optimistic Wang Sujing exercised her pen-holding writing ability by grabbing chess pieces and strapped a sandbag under her right knee to stabilize her body and prevent shaking.

After becoming obsessed with computers, Wang Sujing read a large number of related books, and in 1997, the CASL assembly language compiler he wrote was shortlisted for the national finals of the China University Student Computer Competition. Due to the slow writing of his hands, Wang Sujing encountered difficulties in taking the graduate school, and several colleges and universities made exceptions to set up separate examination rooms for him, and finally he was able to pursue master's and doctoral degrees at Jilin University.

In recent years, Wang Sujing has been inspired by the American drama "Don't Lie to Me", hoping to apply the theory originally used for face recognition to micro-expression research, and he hopes that face recognition technology and psychology can touch the spark and help people detect lies.

Drive an electric scooter for the disabled to complete the torch relay

Beijing News: As the torchbearer of the Winter Paralympic Games, how are you feeling? The wind is a bit strong today, was the torch relay smooth?

Wang Sujing: I was very surprised to learn that I became a torchbearer. On the way to the Beijing Cultural and Sports Guidance Center for the Disabled today, I was also very excited. I think that no matter what position we are in, as long as we work in a down-to-earth manner and do not seek fame and fortune, the country will not forget us.

Because the torch is relatively heavy, it is still a bit difficult to really pass the torch. I drove an electric scooter for the disabled with my right hand, and I could only carry the torch with my left hand, but fortunately, I also successfully completed the task of passing in the end.

Beijing News: Do you usually exercise? Whether in scientific research or sports, people with disabilities must make efforts beyond ordinary people to achieve results. In the face of these difficulties, what is your mentality? What words of encouragement would you like to say about other disabled friends?

Sujing Wang: I used to like to swim, and this kind of exercise is helpful for people with cerebral palsy. I also have a bike device at home, and I usually use it to work out. A healthy body is important for life and work.

I've always been optimistic, and it's not because I'm disabled. Speaking of encouragement, I still feel that no matter what situation you are in, as long as you do your job conscientiously, you will gain something.

Paying attention to accessibility is to pay attention to the future self

Beijing News: When you went to school, you didn't go to a special education school, but studied with sound children. How do you see the role of inclusive education?

Wang Sujing: In terms of my personal experience, I am in favor of integrated education. I feel that if I went to school for the disabled when I was a child, I might have a psychological shadow because I was labeled, which was not good for character development.

I went to school with able-bodied people and made me feel like I could do as well as my peers even though I was disabled.

Beijing News: After you graduated with a Ph.D., you came to the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a postdoctoral fellow. In terms of academics and research, how did you come about this way?

Wang Sujing: Mainly because of my interest, I am interested in computers, and I will not feel that all kinds of difficulties I encounter are difficult. For example, when I concentrate on scientific research at night, I don't feel sleepy at all.

But I think there is a problem now, many students study for master's and doctoral degrees, not out of interest, some because they follow their parents' advice, and some of them are for job hunting, which is obviously contrary to the original intention. The reason why it is called graduate school is that it should be interested in research.

Beijing News: In recent years, the mainland has become more and more perfect in the construction of barrier-free environment. In terms of your personal feelings, what else could be done better?

Wang Sujing: Now the hardware has done a good job, such as straight ladders and ramps are relatively perfect. But the soft environment still needs to be improved.

I've had a few times been stopped out of the door by security guards. Once, I was driving an electric scooter for the disabled and wanted to enter a shopping mall, but the security guard blocked me out for 20 minutes. The second time I went, I was stopped at the door again. This time I asked to see their manager and said, "If you treat people with disabilities like this, you may be on the hot search." Later, when the security guard saw me, he took the initiative to open the door. I think people with disabilities must insist on fighting for their rights.

When I went to visit the Louvre in France, I asked the security guard if I could drive an electric scooter for the disabled to enter before buying a ticket, and the security guard looked at me in surprise, because it was natural to be abroad. The construction of barrier-free environment, whether it is software or hardware, is the embodiment of the degree of civilization.

Of course, this situation is gradually improving. Once, on the road, a pedestrian riding a battery car was very curious about the scooter I was driving, and he chatted with me while riding. I told him that my disabled electric scooter is an electric wheelchair, which can already get on the subway and high-speed rail, and the life of the disabled is indeed getting better and better. This unknown person also said from the bottom of his heart that our country is getting better and better.

I think accessibility is about everyone. Everyone will get old and may use assistive devices for people with disabilities such as wheelchairs. Everyone pays attention to the construction of barrier-free environment, not only to care about the disabled, but also to care about our grandparents today, our parents "tomorrow" and ourselves "the day after tomorrow".

Micro-expression recognition experiments will be conducted in specific scenarios

Beijing News: Micro-expression recognition sounds very interesting, what are its application directions? At present, has it been applied at home and abroad?

Wang Sujing: The recognition of micro-expressions can be applied to the research and development of lie detector equipment. In the United States, micro-expression recognition is widely used in airport security screening, and some trained personnel have observed suspicious situations by observing passengers' micro-expressions. In the future, if computer recognition micro-expression technology can be applied, the efficiency will be higher.

Beijing News: In this field, what scientific research progress have you made? What are the difficulties of this research? What is the accuracy rate?

Wang Sujing: Because the movement of micro-expressions is too small and too subtle, it is difficult for machine recognition. At the same time, it is also necessary to study people's psychological states and study the neural mechanisms by which people produce micro-expressions, and our research group is currently conducting these studies.

Now that machine recognition micro-expressions are still in the stage of theoretical research, it is possible that within two years, we can do relevant experiments in specific scenarios.

At present, the accuracy rate of machine recognition micro-expressions is not high, and it cannot reach the application level. For example, face recognition in the application scene taken by the camera, only need to find the face, in the surrounding small box can be, the security requirements are not high. However, face recognition is required to increase in the payment scenario, and it cannot be identified as an error, otherwise there will be a problem.

Micro-expression recognition is the same, if applied in table games, this recognition of accuracy requirements are not very strict, may be able to achieve application within a few years. However, if it is applied to public security and other systems, the requirements for the level of security accuracy are strict, and the research and application in this area may take two or three decades or more of effort.

Beijing News: Netizens call you the "Chinese version of Hawking", what do you think about this?

Wang Sujing: I think I am what I am. Probably because of cerebral palsy, it looks relatively close to Mr. Hawking in appearance, my speech pronunciation is not clear, and my hands are not good. There are some researchers who are disabled but can move on their legs, and I face a little more difficulty. I dare not expect to be able to make the same achievements and contributions as Mr. Hawking, I am engaged in computer cross-research, in this life can do a good job in micro-expression technology research, I am very satisfied.

| Biography

Wang Sujing, associate researcher of the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, whose main research areas include pattern recognition, machine learning, image processing and micro-expression recognition, has been recognized by the international academic community and has become one of the 10 promising doctoral students invited by the 2011 International Biometrics Conference Doctoral Forum around the world.

Wang Sujing has been called the "Chinese version of Hawking". He won the first prize of the 8th Wu Wenjun Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology Award, the nomination award of "Beijing Model", and was rated as a model for self-improvement of the disabled in Beijing.

Beijing News reporter Zhang Lu

Edited by Chen Jing, proofread by Wu Xingfa