computer science

Human Race Machine

Human Race Machine is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Human Race Machine rather than just read about it. In short: The Human Race Machine (HRM) is a computerized console composed of four different programs. The Human Race Machine program allows participants to see themselves with the facial characteristics of six different races: Asian, White, African, Middle Eastern, and Indian, mapped onto their own face.

Key takeaways

Human Race Machine belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Human Race Machine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Human Race Machine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Human Race Machine (HRM) is a computerized console composed of four different programs. The Human Race Machine program allows participants to see themselves with the facial characteristics of six different races: Asian, White, African, Middle Eastern, and Indian, mapped onto their own face. The Age Machine allows viewers see an aged version of his or her face. A version of this methodology has been used for over twenty years by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to help locate kidnap victims and missing children. The Couples Machine combines photographs of two people in different percentages to show the appearance of their child. The Anomaly Machine lets viewers see themselves with facial anomalies. The HRM was created by artist Nancy Burson and David Kramlich; it uses morphing technology. It was shown on Oprah on 2006-02-16.

External links The Human Race Machine Kelley, Tina (2002-04-14). "Through Machine, Seeing More of Others in Yourself". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-11-16.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Human Race Machine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Human Race Machine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Human Race Machine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Human Race Machine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Human Race Machine

In research: Human Race Machine appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Human Race Machine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Human Race Machine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer graphics, Computer graphics stubs, Digital art, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Human Race Machine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Human Race Machine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Human Race Machine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Human Race Machine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Human Race Machine in simple terms?

Why does Human Race Machine matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Human Race Machine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Human Race Machine.