Doctors created an AI stress companion that detects body signals from your smartwatch and earbuds.
This prototype of an AI therapy system can recognize when you need assistance even before you ask for it.
Although there are numerous mental health chatbots available online, they all face the same challenge: the user must initiate contact. This can be difficult for someone who is stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, or simply unsure how to articulate their feelings.
Researchers from the University of Ottawa are developing a unique type of AI assistant. This assistant is intended to interpret emotional signals in real-time by utilizing data from devices that individuals already use, such as smartwatches, smartphones, and earbuds.
It does more than just wait for a message
The system is named UbiMyTherapist, which stands for "You Be My Therapist." It functions as a digital therapy helper capable of providing both reactive and proactive support. Essentially, it can respond when a user reaches out, but it is also designed to detect emotional distress through real-time signals and offer assistance before the user explicitly requests it.
The system gathers emotional information from multiple sources. It evaluates a user’s emotional state using physiological signals such as heart rate variability, variations in speech tone, and written text. These inputs enable the assistant to gauge how the individual may be feeling at that moment before formulating a response.
UbiMyTherapist also creates a "digital twin" of the user. This profile consolidates the individual’s medical and psychological history alongside real-time emotional data. This additional context allows the assistant to provide more personalized and relevant responses instead of relying on generic chatbot-style answers.
The University of Ottawa reports that the system’s reactive mode was tested with 24 participants and was evaluated for therapeutic effectiveness by licensed therapists. According to the university, UbiMyTherapist demonstrated strong scores in empathy and personalization compared to traditional large language model systems.
It is not intended to replace therapists
The researchers do not propose UbiMyTherapist as a substitute for human therapists. Instead, it's being developed to extend mental health support beyond clinics, particularly for those facing obstacles such as cost, stigma, or limited access to care.
The team aims to enhance the prototype so that it can provide real-time responses using signals from the user’s smartwatch. They also plan to collaborate with more licensed therapists to ensure that the system remains clinically valid. Currently, UbiMyTherapist is still a research initiative rather than a consumer application. Nonetheless, it showcases the potential of AI being utilized for practical and genuinely beneficial purposes.
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Doctors created an AI stress companion that detects body signals from your smartwatch and earbuds.
Researchers have developed an AI assistant that utilizes data from smartwatches, smartphones, and earbuds to identify shifts in emotional state and provide more tailored mental health support.