I-Corps: Real-time anxiety detection and modulation using wearables

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发技术，在临床心理咨询前后向患者和护理人员提供客观数据，以提高依从性，并改善新转诊给临床心理学家的非正式支持基础设施。精神健康障碍在美国很普遍，近四分之一的成年人患有精神疾病。精神健康障碍在世界各地年轻人口的疾病负担中占很大比例。虽然精神健康障碍通常在成年时被诊断出来，但这些疾病通常源于童年、青春期或青年时期出现的疾病。社会和健康方面的差距对发育期产生广泛影响，并与少数民族心理健康状况的增加有关。此外，随着社会隔离的增加，抑郁、焦虑、失眠和压力的增加变得更加普遍，特别是在女性中。对于大学或专业课程的年轻人来说，平衡生活和工作的需求已经对情绪健康提出了重大挑战，更不用说面对流行病时了。I-Corps项目基于一项技术的开发，该技术集成了个性化的可穿戴设备和机器学习/人工智能框架，以建立针对压力环境中心理健康变化的个性化评估和干预。可穿戴传感器能够持续测量和评估成年人在其整个生命周期中疾病进展、生理健康和健康的潜在行为标志物。鉴于精神卫生专业人员短缺，获得高质量精神卫生服务的机会有限，以及与精神障碍有关的耻辱感，改善对健康和福祉变化的远程监测至关重要。具有生理或心理功能的可穿戴传感器已被集成到配件、服装、身体附件和植入式设备中。然而，健身追踪器和智能手表的废弃率约为30%，这凸显了开发以用户为中心并响应用户功能和情感需求的技术的必要性，以确保采用和持续使用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of technology that provides objective data to patients and caregivers before and after clinical psychological consults to provide improved adherence and to improve the informal support infrastructure for new referrals to a clinical psychologist. Mental health disorders are prevalent in the United States, with nearly one in four adults living with a mental illness. Mental health disorders account for a large proportion of the disease burden in younger populations across the world. While mental health disorders are often diagnosed in adulthood, these diseases often stem from disorders arising as a childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. Social and health disparities have a widespread impact on developmental periods and have been associated with an increase in mental health conditions in racial minorities. Furthermore, with increased social isolation, increased depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress become more prevalent, particularly in females. For young adults, in college or professional programs, the need to balance life and work already present significant challenges for emotional wellbeing, let alone when faced with a pandemic.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a technology that integrates personalized, wearable devices and machine learning/artificial intelligence frameworks to establish a personalized evaluation and intervention targeting mental health changes in stressful environments. Wearable sensors enable continuous measurement and evaluation of potential behavioral markers of disease progression, physiological health, and wellness in adults across their lifespan. Given the shortage of mental health professionals, limited access to quality mental health services, and the stigma associated with mental disorders, the need for improved tele-monitoring of changes in health and wellness is paramount. Wearable sensors of physiological or psychological function have been integrated into accessories, clothing, body attachments, and implantable devices. However, fitness trackers and smartwatches experience abandonment rates of ~30%, which highlights the need to develop technologies that are user‐centered and respond to users’ functional and emotional needs to ensure adoption and continued use.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.