Min.CO

MinCO is an innovative solution designed to support the treatment of depression by extending traditional therapy approaches with a combination of software and hardware. The innovation of MinCO lies in the use of emotional AI and EEG technology to measure emotions and attention in real-time. The system offers personalized, AI-assisted tracking and support for daily psychological exercises, including activities such as walks and observation exercises that other software solutions do not cover. Additionally, speakers, vibration motors, and a VR module provide an immersive therapy experience. MinCO enhances communication between patient and doctor, offering a more intense and individualized therapy experience.

Necessity of Innovation

Statistics show that the number of people with depression is very high, and the suicide rate is also increasing. Traditional treatment methods include medication and psychotherapy, but another important aspect of recovery is the daily exercises prescribed by doctors. However, current medical methods have room for improvement, such as limited resources and inefficient communication between doctor and patient.

Lack of Effective Software Solutions

There is an increasing number of software solutions on the market related to emotional AI therapy. However, most are closed, chatbot-like AI therapy assistants or monotonous breathing and meditation exercises. No software currently supports the doctor-prescribed exercise tasks such as walks or observation exercises.

Development of MinCO

Through extensive research and product design iterations, I finally developed MinCO. It is a software and hardware system based on emotional AI that provides a new supportive therapy form for depression patients. The software includes AI-supported personalized tracking, support, and recording of patients’ daily psychological exercises. The hardware uses 8 EEG electrodes to measure patients’ emotions and attention concentration in real-time. Additionally, speakers, vibration motors, and a VR module provide an immersive visual, auditory, and tactile experience.

Enhanced Therapy Experience

This combination allows MinCO to offer patients a more intensive and personalized therapy experience. It provides more opportunities for self-exercises and improves communication and information exchange between patient and doctor. MinCO not only supports closed, chatbot-like AI therapy assistants but also extends exercise possibilities to activities like walks and observation exercises.

User Process and AI Process

The user process includes performing OH Card games and observation exercises to enhance self-awareness through interaction. OH Card is a psychotherapeutic game where patients draw abstract picture cards and interpret them to explore their inner selves. Observation exercises help patients view and acknowledge their emotions from an observer’s perspective.

Research and Design Process

Emotional AI therapy is a significant trend, and the advanced technology of brain-computer interfaces has strongly interested me. Through personal experiences, I recognized that treatment cycles are too long, costs are high, and patients are often unmotivated. I aimed to combine emotional AI and EEG to develop a product that improves the healing rate and efficiency of existing treatment methods.

Implementation of EEG Technology

In early research, I focused on brain-computer interface technology and found that EEG technology is currently the most feasible. EEG-derived data needs to be organized and applied, so I chose AI models for data processing as they are best suited for this task.

Investigation of Depression Stages

I investigated the different stages of depression, from mild depression to mental disorders, and the corresponding treatment methods for each stage. I found that all depression patients undergo awareness and observation exercises, regardless of the stage. Psychologists also informed me about the current state of emotional AI on the market.

Exercise Process and AI Integration

I mimicked traditional awareness exercises and created an exercise process, which I submitted to psychologists for feedback. Based on their suggestions, I added OH Card and integrated a loop to end the exercise when patients are fatigued. By repeatedly testing with simulated patients and reviewing with psychologists, I continuously improved the exercise process.

Testing with ChatGPT and EEG Data

Then, I tested the process with ChatGPT 3.5, giving the AI specific language frameworks to generate results, continuously improving the prompts, and simultaneously extracting real-time data from EEG for AI analysis and corresponding instructions until I had the final process.

UX Design

I examined existing AI interaction interfaces on the market and studied UX design. I designed a round symbol as a carrier for emotional AI interaction. For text dialogues, I created synchronized text dialogue boxes, mainly based on voice dialogues. To minimize visual distraction, I kept the interface as simple as possible.

Hardware Design

Based on the psychological exercise process, the hardware requires a screen, sound, and vibration feedback to enhance the immersive experience during exercises. By providing feedback on the patient’s attention concentration and emotional fluctuations through EEG, AI interactions become more human-like, naturally ending exercises when the patient becomes inattentive and encouraging them.

This led to the development of a headset device. The main hardware design focuses on the EEG part of the headset. Many psychological exercises need to be performed in real-life scenarios, such as meditation and walking attention exercises, and do not require a screen when interacting with AI or during online psychological consultations. Therefore, I referenced ergonomic experiment cases on head pressure points and designed a split-type EEG and VR setup. For the VR module, I designed horizontal length adjustments and magnetic light shield connections for users who prefer light-blocking covers or wear glasses. Additionally, considering the different head shapes of children and adults, I designed vertical screen adjustments.

Design Optimization

Initially, my design was sport-oriented, considering future light outdoor exercises like walks. But I later focused more on frequent use in static scenarios, changing the design to be more user-friendly. I revised many details, retaining the detachable VR module but moving the connection area to the upper head part for comfort.

Through comprehensive research and continuous improvements, MinCO offers a solution that extends and enhances traditional therapy approaches. It ensures that patients receive the best possible support and motivation to complete their therapy successfully and improve their quality of life.