Together with researchers from the Mental Health Services of the Capital Region of Denmark, a group of DTU researchers have developed and tested the Wrist Angel wristband, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict whether a person with OCD is nearing an obsessive thought episode. The wristband achieved 70 per cent accuracy during a pilot trial, and the team behind it hopes that it can also be used by people with other diagnoses - such as stress and anxiety - in the future.
The wristband looks like a common sports watch. It measures the child's heart rate and sweat production and runs this data through an AI model that can predict whether an OCD episode (obsessive thoughts or actions) is looming. When an episode is underway, the child and their parents can receive a message that makes them aware of this. This allows the child to do preventive exercises that they have been taught by their therapist.
