Emotional Signs
Your Emotions, Made Visible: Monitoring Emotional State with Sensor Tech
Sensor Monitoring for People with Communication Barriers
Imagine a world where everyone's emotions are understood. For the millions globally who struggle to communicate verbally, expressing feelings and stress is a daily hurdle. EmotionalSigns is an innovative project using minimally invasive sensors to continuously monitor stress and emotional states in these individuals, making their inner world visible. Led by 3Dthinks in collaboration with the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), this initiative aims to bridge communication gaps and improve well-being.
Leading the development of the central data platform and software
At 3Dthinks we will analyze the incoming data from the sensors, providing a diagnostic overview of the user’s stress and emotional state e.g. in our inclusive messenger app TalX for medical professionals, family, and caregivers.
Lactate and Cortisol Monitoring
Researchers at UPC’s CATMech group are developing cutting-edge amperometric sensors designed to continuously measure levels of lactate and cortisol in bodily fluids like sweat and/or saliva. These biomarkers are known indicators of stress and emotional arousal. They are also designing and fabricating a user-friendly microfluidic platform to efficiently collect these samples and direct them to the sensors.
Heart Rate Variability and Galvanic Skin Response
The UPC is investigating ergonomic devices that integrate measurements of heart rate variability (HRV), a key indicator of the body’s stress response, and galvanic skin response (GSR), which reflects changes in skin conductivity due to emotional arousal.
Sensor Control and Data Acquisition
The UB are contributing their expertise in electronics to develop the control and readout systems for the amperometric and potentiometric sensors. They are also designing the electronic infrastructure for efficient data collection and wireless transmission to the data platform
Pioneering Emotional Visibility
The “EmotionalSigns” project embodies 3Dthinks’ commitment to developing innovative technological solutions that empower individuals with disabilities and improve their quality of life. By partnering with the expertise of UPC and UB, we are driving forward the development of a technology that has the potential to revolutionize how we understand and support the emotional well-being of those who cannot easily express themselves verbally.