Introduction
In today's society, while physical injuries have significantly decreased due to technological advancements, the prevalence of mental illness is on the rise despite material abundance. The increase in mental health challenges can be attributed to the diversification of living and working environments, as well as changes in human relationships. Unfortunately, accessing treatment for depression remains a challenge due to a lack of awareness about mental health issues and the complexity of identifying their root causes.
According to a 2023 report by Mental Health America (MHA), in 2019-2020, approximately 20.78% of adults in the United States were experiencing some form of mental illness, affecting over 50 million Americans. Additionally, more than 10% of youth in the U.S. are grappling with severe depression, significantly impairing their functioning in school, work, family life, and social activities. Alarmingly, 54.7% of adults and 59.8% of youth with major depression receive no mental health treatment. Depression is not confined to a specific age group, underscoring the need for improved access to treatment.
To address this issue, we propose the use of social robots as a cost-effective means to alleviate depression, accessible to individuals of all ages. Our social robot consists of two main components: emotional analysis and natural language interaction. The emotional analysis component collects various data from users, including voice tone and facial expressions, to perform multi-modal emotion analysis. Based on the emotional analysis, our social robot suggests actions and engages in natural conversations using Large Language Models (LLMs) to enhance users' mental well-being.
LLMs offer the advantage of more "natural" human-like conversations through natural language processing. However, they may produce variable output formats, which can be challenging to integrate into specific system structures. To address this, we employ prompt engineering techniques to generate output that aligns with the structure of our proposed social robot system.
Our social robot is designed as a software application, rather than a physical hardware robot like a humanoid or pet robot. This choice is driven by two primary factors. First, we aim to minimize production costs to ensure affordability for a wide audience. Physical robots would substantially increase production expenses. Second, many depression-treatment social robots focus predominantly on the physical aspect of the robot, neglecting intangible interactions such as meaningful conversations with users. Our project prioritizes creating a robot that engages in more natural and meaningful dialogues with users.
This innovative initiative leverages emotional analysis and LLM (Large Language Model) technology to provide companionship and support to individuals facing psychological challenge.
Emotional well-being is a critical aspect of human life, and our project aims to address the growing issue of loneliness and depression by creating a robot that can understand and respond to human emotions. Through advanced algorithms and machine learning, our robot can provide companionship, empathy, and assistance to those in need.
How It Works
Our Social Robot uses cutting-edge emotional analysis software to interpret the emotional states of its users. It can detect changes in voice tone, facial expressions, and even text messages to gauge the user's emotional well-being. Based on this analysis, the robot responds with appropriate actions and interactions.
Additionally,the robot uses LLM technology to provide solutions to respond to the multimodal emotional analysis results it processes, enabling it to build meaningful and personalized relationships with users over time.
Loneliness and depression are significant challenges in today's world. Our project aims to provide a solution that brings companionship and support to those who need it most.
The Future of Emotional Support
We believe that the integration of emotional analysis and LLM technology in our Social Robot represents the future of emotional support systems. With the ability to adapt and grow alongside its users, our robot can offer genuine companionship and a listening ear to anyone experiencing emotional difficulties.
Our Social Robot in action, providing emotional support and
companionship.
This project is a testament to the potential of technology to improve the lives of individuals facing emotional challenges. We are committed to making a positive impact and creating a more connected and emotionally resilient society.
For more information and updates on our project, please visit our website..