Computers have been roped in to tackle an age-old classroom problem

In the bad old days, inattentive (read: bored) children were brought back to the task at hand with a clip on the ear or a rap on the knuckles. Teachers, in fact, seemed to have an unerring instinct when it came to gauging which children were daydreaming even as they apparently stared in rapt attention at the blackboard or pored over textbooks.

News that computers have now been enabled with that underrated classroom skill comes as no surprise. It is about time computers learnt to read human beings’ body language by analysing the amount of "non-instrumental movement", considering their relationship is symbiotic. Users’ interests are already monitored and relevant content placed adroitly; ascertaining disinterest is the natural next step.

What these duly empathised machines would do with information about the boredom quotient of their users is less evident. Remedial action would be warranted but, obviously, the corporal methods used by teachers of yore are not exactly applicable or even allowed any more.

Offering alternative content — as done after assessing interest — may seem presumptuous and cannot automatically guarantee renewed attention. Switching off automatically in annoyance upon registering boredom may jolt the user back to mindfulness, but may not be advisable either.