The Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in India will embark on research to explore various clinical applications of an AI-powered tool for detecting emotions.
It signed a memorandum of understanding with global IT consultant Nihilent, which created the emotion detection platform called Emoscape.
The AI tool captures Navarasa or the nine fundamental emotions based on the classic Indian performance arts. These are love, joy, compassion, anger, courage, fear, disgust, wonder, and calmness. It uses a camera to detect these emotions in subtle, three-dimensional upper-body movements of an individual.
WHY IT MATTERS
The technology has been regarded for its potential to open new avenues for addressing emotional well-being, its integration into personalised care, and bringing emotional diagnostics into mainstream healthcare.
"By combining the time-tested wisdom of Navarasa with state-of-the-art technology, we are opening new doors for understanding and addressing emotional well-being," said MUHS vice chancellor and lieutenant general Dr Madhuri Kanitkar in a statement.
Potential applications include non-communicable diseases, pediatric and adolescent care, maternal mental health, pre-surgical counselling, and psychiatric conditions.
"This partnership with MUHS is not just about technology; it’s about creating a new framework for emotional well-being in medicine. By detecting and understanding emotions, we can provide more personalised and effective care, improving both patient outcomes and the overall healthcare experience," claimed Nihilent's Emoscape business director Sandeep Pendurkar.
Meanwhile, as part of their MOU, Nihilent will also offer summer internships for MUHS students to expose them to AI in healthcare. MUHS has over 600 affiliated colleges providing health science education in the western state of Maharashtra.
THE LARGER TREND
Camera-based emotion sensing technology has seen application in the diagnosis of mental health conditions, including the elderly. In 2021, social services agency Lions Befrienders in Singapore partnered with IT developer Opsis to try out an AI-powered emotion analysis software to determine the mental state of seniors.
Besides emotion detection, new research in Australia demonstrated the use of online therapy to help patients dealing with chronic pain to better process their emotions. The digital therapeutic developed by the University of New South Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia has shown potential in decreasing pain intensity by retraining an individual's brain in processing emotions associated with their pain.
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