Shadiah Ricardo

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Most people are aware of biometrics used to protect your privacy or give special access. Though in these cases we think first of retina scans, fingerprints, or face scanners. However, an article by NPR describes the novel idea of using voices to detect illness, though it is still in its development stages (Weiner, 2022). The study is being carried out by researchers in over 10 institutions, with the goal of amassing a lot of sample voices to create a big database where they can study human voices with AI.
The question driving it is ‘If one could only listen to a patient when they come in with a problem, would the physician be able to form a diagnosis?’ Obviously, it is easy to guess that a person with lung problems would sound phlegm-ridden, but other diseases are not easily imaginable. The article continues by stating that Parkinson’s disease or cancer patients also have a key pace of voice, and there are even accompanying voice recordings (but I must warn that they are a bit repulsive).

Surprisingly, there are actual companies that implemented this idea, one such is audEERING, a Germany-based company that uses AI to perform voice analysis. Their applications are used in game testing and the health industry to detect emotions but also health information (audEERING, 2022). The former can be used to gather data on the emotions or reactions of players through their voices. Though the latter is focused mainly on CoVid-19 patients. Their applications are thus not that advanced to be able to diagnose all diseases, in contrast to the study which is part of NIH’s Bridge to AI program.

It seems that the research for voice analytics could turn out to be useful, the NPR article concludes by stating that it could ultimately be integrated with our phones or other communication devices and that they could alert us when they detect an illness. More so with diseases like Parkinson where early detection is key for receiving timely treatment. Even though details like voice recording ownership for the samples and commercialization of the technology are hindrances that need to be figured out. Voice Analytics seems like a great innovation to improve how we get diagnosed.

Sources:

audEERING. (2022, September 28). Company. audEERING. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.audeering.com/company/

Weiner, L. (2022, October 10). Artificial intelligence could soon diagnose illness based on the sound of your voice. NPR.Org. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2022/10/10/1127181418/ai-app-voice-diagnose-disease

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The idea of digital twins has been around since the start of the century, though not many are acquainted with the concept. The name seems self-explanatory, yet digital twins are often confused with digital models or digital shadows, respectively a model constitutes an idea of a physical object in virtuality, like an architect’s plans for a building, while shadows are related only through the fact that a change of the physical object leads to a change in the virtual model. A digital twin is set apart by the fact that physical changes alter the digital object and that the opposite is also true (Fuller et al., 2020).

In essence, digital twins are virtual objects that are fully integrated with their physical parts, and that is why they are so beneficial. The digital twin can be one object or a conjunction of parts that work together as a system. Consequently, the data collected from the sensors in the physical object can then be used to see how it reacts in simulations or to see the performance within the virtual ecosystem (IBM, n.d.).

This technology is expected to be used in many industries, such as in healthcare, urban smart city planning, and manufacturing to name a few. The smart cities’ data can be collected and modeled to help with planning and analyzing how changes could turn out. The digital twin is like a modern version of Vyseris Targaryen’s dream of visualizing his realm, though this replica is as ‘alive’ as what it represents; a ruler’s dream.

Figure 2: HBO Series ‘House of the Dragon’: Realm sculpture of King Viserys

Recently a paper by Bhatti et al. (2021) defined how to apply this technology in the automotive manufacturing industry, they describe how smart vehicle parts could be thoroughly analyzed through complex digital twin structures. Though there are still many challenges to overcome before it is a reality. Yet through their wide applicability and data analysis power digital twins could be the future of research.

Sources

Bhatti, G., Mohan, H., & Singh, R. (2021, May). Towards the future of smart electric vehicles: Digital twin technology: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Elsevier, 141, Article 110801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.110801

Fuller, A., Fan, Z., Day, C., & Barlow, C. (2020, May 28). Digital Twin: Enabling Technologies, Challenges and Open Research. IEEE Access, 8, 108952–108971. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2998358

IBM. (n.d.). What is a digital twin? Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.ibm.com/topics/what-is-a-digital-twin

AI for voice analytics

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Digital Twin Technology in Research

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