Partnership with SWZ

“Really knowing the client is important. Who are you, what can you do, what do you want, what do you need help with, what makes you happy, what makes you sad? ”SWZ, a care organization for people with mental (or multiple) disabilities, focuses on the support question of the client in everything that they do. To contribute to this mission, SWZ has started a collaboration with Mentech Innovation.

People with mental disabilities need support in many facets of life and are often unable to express their emotions, pain or stress levels. As a result, their behavior is not always well understood and healthcare providers cannot provide the required attention and meaningful care. To recognize tension at an early stage, Mentech Innovation is developing the HUME. The HUME is an emotion recognition platform that records physiological and personal characteristics (such as heartbeat, skin conduction and voice) through wearables, and converts these characteristics into stress and emotions using smart algorithms and behavioral models. The HUME gives vulnerable people a voice, ultimately to increase self-management and the quality of life and happiness.

In collaboration with Mentech Innovation, SWZ will contribute to the validation of the HUME and intends to use the HUME in its care practice. An example is a traffic light function on a smartphone that warns the caregiver early if a person’s tension builds up. In addition to this signaling function, the HUME can also be used as an instrument for self-measurement or diagnosis. By also using personal characteristics, environmental influences and facial expressions, the HUME can also recognize specific emotions and pain in the future.