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By Seb Joseph, News editor

December 28, 2014 | 2 min read

Samsung has unveiled a new app that promises to help autistic children better express their emotions.

The “Look at Me” app uses photos, facial recognition technology and games to help kids gauge emotions, consequently improving their social and facial recognition skills. Many autistic children struggle to make or sustain eye contact with others and the app aims to gamify how they can improve and ultimately gain confidene in their communications skills.

Learning is based around several missions on the app that advise parents and kids to play for up to 20 minutes each day.

Parents can share their experiences via the app’s community forum, with the aim to foster a network where families and caregivers can seek out advice.

“This project helps to facilitate meaningful connections between parents, caregivers and their children, as well as to foster connections between the 200 families selected,” the company said.

The app, which has been developed in partnership with doctors in South Korea, had a 60 per cent success rate of children showing noticeable improvement during trials, claimed Samsung.

The technology business joins a growing list of those creating products that help treat people with autism. Google united with advocacy group Autism Speaks earlier this year to create a platform for scientists worldwide to access and share their research on the neurological disorder.

The "Look at Me" app launch caps Samsung’s charitable efforts for the year. In the summer, the company ran a campaign in China that charted the stories of children who had lost the ability to lead normal lives but with the brand’s support managed to overcome their health challenges.

The app is available to download on the Google Play store.

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