Author: Sumya Hoque
Mentor: Dr. Mohammad Azhar
Institution: BMCC
Abstract: COVID-19 is setting our mental health at risk since it has been proven stressful for plenty of people, specifically seniors citizens. Fear and anxiety about a new disease or death of a percentage of a population can be overwhelming them. Moreover, self-quarantine or isolation can be stressful for individuals as well. Therapists are not available around the clock to follow up with their mental health issues. This project proposes affordable virtual Alexa assistants that assist senior citizens with COVID-19 anxiety. We have developed SARs and AI chatbots that have been proven convenient for treating anxiety problems. We are exploring how Alexa assistants can be more efficient to assist COVID-19 anxiety patients. In the larger project, we designed Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) and AI chatbots to help people with mental stress or anxiety caused by COVID-19. SARs and AI chatbots can provide specific therapy and counseling assistance, such as Cognitive Behavioral therapy, to nursing home adults who may be at risk or suffering from COVID-19 anxiety. We also developed an Android app prototype that is connected to the IBM Chatbot. The chatbot is also able to detect users’ emotions during the conversation with the nursing home residents. This project explores the effectiveness of affordable virtual AI assistants (i.e., Alexa).
COVID-19 Mental Health AI and Robot Assistant
