Ilmi

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  Ilmi-logo

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  Eveliina

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  Henri

Inspiration

People facing difficulties are in need of peer support and help from e.g. social or youth worker. To maintain their privacy they often prefer to discuss their situation incognito through a conversation platform. However, the text-based conversation leaves a lot unsaid, as the emotions can’t be transmitted or interpretated in the same way as in face-to-face interaction. When dealing with very emotional matters, it would be important to follow the reactions of the other person in order to create an atmosphere of connectedness. Written description of emotions can be challenging to produce. Instead, facial expressions are revealing emotions in real time and evoke instant cognitive response in the other party.

What it does

Ilmi is an app that tracks the user’s face through video input and converts the data into a digital face. The avatar face substitutes user’s face in chat environment and transmits the user’s real time facial expressions to the other user. Through the avatar faces the participants can reveal their emotions and reactions but still withhold their true identity. The anonymity enables persons with difficulties to discuss their problems in total confidentiality.

How we built it

The data is collected through web cam input by tracking the location of activity points on a face. The data is then processed by special algorithm which detects the feeling based on the relative distance of the points measured. The feeling is represented on an avatar face, which is visible on the chat platform. The emotions change real time during the conversation following the changing moods of the users involved.

Note: Please use Chrome browser when testing.

Challenges we ran into

We spent a lot of time finding out which method of collecting emotional data would be most suitable for our needs. We wanted to extract data that can be interpreted clearly. After making experiments with three different devices we finally settled to tracking the emotions visually. Along the way, we had to pivot with a strong hand in order to end up with a diamond concept.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We wanted to make a concept that has an impact not only on individual level, but also on societal level. Facilitating the interaction of troubled people seeking for a connection is goal that we consider very important. We wish to encourage them to deal with their hardships bravely and gradually come over the disconnectedness through revealing their true feelings and getting the support they need. We also take pride of the excellent coordination, co-operation and co-creation of our multi-disciplinary team.

What we learned

Good concept takes you a long way but only a great team can make it happen.

What's next for Ilmi

In the future, we would like to get Ilmi running in real chat situations. We’d also like to see more possibilities in the substitute facial feature gallery, so that the user can build a digital face that she feels is relevant to her situation. More development is needed, but it would be interesting to start by testing the app with real users and gather information of real life user context.