Your Phone's Selfie Camera Can Now Detect Depression. Here's How
A new technology is emerging that utilises the front-facing camera on devices to analyse emotions and monitor mental health. An app called Emobot is already being used by hundreds of patients to track their mood and assess the effectiveness of their depression treatment.
The app analyses facial expressions throughout the day and generates a report, similar to a step count or heart rate graph. According to co-founder Samuel Lerman, Emobot is classified as a medical device in France, and the company is collaborating with psychiatrists to prescribe it to patients.
According to The Metro, the team was initially afraid people would find this too intrusive, given the app constantly watches you, and a future version will even listen to your tone of voice as you go about your day via the phone microphone.
Mr Lerman said, "The camera is open in the background all the time." So we were a bit skeptical about that aspect; however, the feedback was pretty good."
He told The Metro that no photos from the camera are transmitted to a central database or stored, as they are processed locally by AI on the user's phone and deleted.
This technology is similar to that being developed for office workers to check if they are really sitting at their computer or if they appear tired.
We tried the emotion mapping software on display at the VivaTech conference in Paris, and a real-time image showed reporter Jen Mills as appearing both 'pleased' and 'bored' at the same time.
Mr Lerman said the app helps doctors track patients' responses to treatment as well as 'detect sudden deterioration of their mood' and relapse risk.
The focus on mental well-being was also evident at VivaTech 2025, where over 14,000 startups from more than 50 countries gathered. While artificial intelligence (AI) dominated the event, many of the most discussed innovations used AI and technology to improve healthcare and mental health, signalling a growing prioritisation of mental health in the tech industry.
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