MoodCapture an app to detect depression which is being developed by a group of researchers from Dartmouth, a university in the United States. So far the tests have shown 75% effectiveness, but its developers want to refine this number and reach at least 90%.
¿How MoodCapture works? According to its creators, the application can determine whether a person is depressed or not, from photographs of their daily life. This is possible? To find out, let's learn more details about this tool.
An application with the ability to recognize depression: MoodCapture
MoodCapture is an application that is being developed by a group of researchers with the ability to recognize if a person suffers from depression. To do this, it takes as reference the images captured automatically with the front camera of smartphones. This, while the user carries out his daily activities.
At the moment the application is based on a study that has been carried out in the Dartmouth University, USA. The study has collected more than 125.000 photographs among a population of 177 people, who have been diagnosed with depression for more than 90 days.
The results obtained in this study showed a 75% success rate in identifying the symptoms of a depressed person from photographs. However, the team seeks to increase this value and reach at least 90% accuracy. One of the creators of this application has stated that, to have the tool up and running, it will most likely be ready within 5 years.
How does MoodCapture work?
MoodCapture works using the photos that users take when they unlock their phone. It will use facial recognition and AI as tools to detect the user's expressions at that moment and determine if a person suffers from depression.
Considering that a user can unlock their phone with their face 800 or more times a day, the application will use those photos and do its analysis. Now, the big question is:Can an app know your mood? According to experts, MoodCapture will use a series of parameters that it will evaluate to diagnose the person and to do so it will be based on:
- The lighting of the place where facial recognition is performed.
- The look you use in each mobile unlocking photo.
- The environmental context where you have unlocked the phone.
- The colors that predominate most in the photo.
- The eye movement made by the user.
- Muscle rigidity in your facial expressions.
- The position of the head.
- Location of photos.
Depression is the disease of the 21st century and many blame social networks and applications. However, this is a more complex issue, considering that suffering from depression is more oriented towards social stigmas.
People with just one word – whether verbal or digitally written – can affect others and lead them to depression. Also, factors such as low self-esteem, a repressive system at home or problems at school. In reality, all of these elements can cause a person to become depressed. Do you think this app can really determine early-stage depressive symptoms?