App reads patient biometrics to detect mental health conditions

Software startup SixD, says it has added a feature to its vitals-reading app Together that is designed to measure depression and anxiety.

Together uses biometrics to monitor an individual’s health, and the new voice analysis feature is called Mental Vitals. SixD does business as Renee.

The app uses a 30-second clip of speech to analyze prosody (melody), system (vocal tract movements) and source (vocal fold dynamics) to identify signs of anxiety and depression.

The app uses face biometrics to assess other aspects of an individual’s health, too, through a partnership with Binah.ai. Together analyzes visual cues from smiles and measures blood pressure, heart rate and blood oxygen levels, which can improve the effectiveness of personalized, remote and preventative care, according to the integration announcement.

Binah.ai is an Israeli developer that has had its image analysis algorithms built into a Covid self-assessment and employee health check applications.

Similar to Together’s physical health checks, Anura, an app developed by Nuralogix, uses facial recognition to gather health data. It can perform 1,000 health diagnostic tests using a 30-second video of a user’s face.

The Anura app detects key regions of interest on a face. It uses the reflection of light on a person’s skin to gather inferences on blood flow. It also calculates BMI and monitors mental health indicators like depression and stress levels.

The Together app’s interface is designed to be easier for aging adults to use it in managing their health. Together also tracks medication refills and manages prescription schedules.

“Despite all the health tech ‘innovation,’ most people don’t take their meds, get preventive exams, track their vitals or see their doctors in a timely manner,” says SixD Co-founder and CEO Nick Desai in a statement. “Together fixes that by making the most routine, annoying parts of healthcare as easy as ordering a pizza.”

Co-founder Dr. Renee Dua says she wants to see “people follow my care plans and actually achieve better outcomes.”

Launched seven weeks ago, Together already has 11,000 active users, 64 percent of whom are older than 55 years, according to the company.

Article Topics

Binah  |  biometrics  |  healthcare  |  image analysis  |  mobile app  |  Nuralogix  |  Renee  |  research and development  |  selfie biometrics  |  voice analysis