Empathy-XR: An Immersive AI-Based Tool for Mental Health Wellbeing

**挑战**英国和全球报告精神健康问题的总人数同比上升。这意味着每月转诊到社区心理健康团队的人数增加，而与此同时，英国对心理健康服务的实际投资有所下降。超过四分之一(26%)的16岁至24岁的年轻女性报告有常见的心理健康问题，而老年人报告抑郁和孤独是影响心理健康的关键因素。在英国，获得心理健康支持通常存在显著的障碍，包括缺乏当地资源、社会耻辱、费用和旅行接受护理的能力。然而，研究表明，实现成功结果的关键是用户参与，而不是治疗的方式。这表明，通过新的数字手段提供精神健康支持具有与某些形式的传统心理治疗一样有效的潜力。**视觉**牛津动力公司将开发同理心-XR：一种创新的、基于人工智能的个人心理健康工具，能够监测和帮助应对焦虑和抑郁，这是最常被报道的精神健康挑战。EMPERY-XR最初通过智能手机和/或平板电脑提供，将结合牛津动力公司在对话式人工智能和基于AI的图像处理/视觉系统方面久经考验的核心专业知识，提供独特、高度个性化和新颖的沉浸式体验。EMPERY-XR将使人们能够立即获得独特的、非评判的、永久耐心的、始终可用的支持性护理。通过绕过心理健康提供的财务和地理障碍，以及对易用性和扩展的现实用户体验的强烈关注，EMPERY-XR将在沉浸式对话方面取得突破。专注于社会最大的挑战领域之一。最终的同理心-XR寻求成为健康从业者和患者军火库中有价值和强大的补充。该项目与NHS和一些心理健康慈善机构合作，旨在通过现场试验证明用户报告的心理健康状况有了循证的改善。**项目可交付成果**该工业发展项目建立在之前成功的牛津动力公司工作和之前的用户参与的基础上，以生产一个适合与关键利益相关者进行Beta现场试验的原型系统。该项目将涵盖同理心-XR的商业、伦理和技术方面，以及全面商业发布的路线图。

**The Challenge**The overall number of people reporting mental health problems in the UK and globally rises year on year. This translates into increasing monthly referrals to community mental health teams, whilst at the same time, UK investment in mental health services has fallen in real terms. Over a quarter (26%) of young women aged between 16--24 years old report having a common mental health problem, whilst the elderly report depression and loneliness as key impactors on mental health.Significant barriers often exist to obtaining mental health care support in the UK, including lack of local resources, social stigma, cost, and an ability to travel to receive care. However, research has shown that user engagement, rather than the modality of therapy is the key to achieving successful outcomes. This indicates that the provision of mental health support via new digital means has the potential to be as effective as some forms of traditional psychotherapy.**Vision**Oxford Dynamics will develop Empathy-XR: an innovative, AI-based personal mental health wellness tool able to monitor and assist with anxiety and depression, the most commonly reported mental health challenges. Initially delivered via smartphone and/or tablet, Empathy-XR will combine Oxford Dynamics' proven core expertise in Conversational AI and AI-based image procession/ vision systems, to deliver a unique, highly personalized, and novel immersive experience.Empathy-XR will enable immediate access to unique supportive care that is non-judgmental, eternally patient, and always available.By circumventing financial & geographic barriers to mental health provision, together with a strong focus on ease of use and an extended reality user experience, Empathy-XR will provide a breakthrough in immersive conversations, focussed on one the largest challenge areas to society.Ultimately Empathy-XR seeks to be a valuable and powerful addition to the health practitioner and patient's arsenal. Working with the NHS and a number of mental health charities, this project aims to demonstrate evidence-based improvements in users' reported mental health via field trials.**Project Deliverables**This Industrial Development project builds upon prior successful Oxford Dynamics work and previous user engagement, to produce a prototype system suitable for Beta field trials with key stakeholders. The project will cover Empathy-XR's commercial, ethical, and technical aspects, together with a roadmap for full commercial release.