For centuries, the eyes have been considered the mirror of the human soul. Today, leaps and bounds in technology come to use the reading of the eyes and the face to detect any mental health problems. In the context of cutting-edge technological research carried out by the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, USA, it is estimated that your smartphone may soon become a powerful tool to detect the first signs of depression. He just “looks” at your face.
Professor Sang Won Bae and PhD candidate Rahul Islam, developed two innovative applications for smart phones, with artificial intelligence. The first application is called PupilSense and works to “analyze” our eyes. PupilSense has the ability to take quick snapshots of your eyes when you use your phone, measuring the size of the pupil compared to the iris. In an initial test with 25 volunteers, which lasted four weeks, the app analyzed about 16,000 interactions. The results were particularly encouraging.
However, this team is also working on the development of another application called FacePsywhich examines your facial expressions to gain insight into your mood. FacePsy works silently, in the background of the phone, taking quick snapshots of your face when you open your phone or use certain apps. As for personal data, the system is programmed to delete the image after analysis.
Some of the first discoveries were unusual and interesting. For example, persistent smiling can be linked to possible signs of depression as a defense mechanism. Other possible signs of depression include fewer facial movements in the morning and certain specific eye and head movement patterns.
Unlike other AI systems for depression detection, which often require the use of special devices, these smartphone-based applications could provide a readily available tool for the early detection of depression, accessible to most of the world Of course, while these technologies show promise, they are still in the early stages of development. The PupilSense system is now available on GitHub, allowing other researchers and developers to work on this innovative project.