REFLETS
The project REFLETS (Rétroaction .Émotionnelle Faciale et Linguistique et États de Stress Traumatique) focuses on improving the care of those suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) using a technological system that reacts with the sufferer’s capacity to perceive and regulate their emotions. The project is based on technologies recently developed at IRCAM on the manipulation, in real-time, of indicators of smiles in the spoken voice and at CentralSupélec on the video manipulation of visual cues of a smile on a face.
The project focuses on three different disciplines. In the domain of information sciences, the project aims to develop “emotional mirror” technology in which the participant can see and hear themselves, but their emotional tone is manipulated algorithmically (in practice, participants will see and hear themselves with a smile while they express themselves using a neutral tone). In the domains of psychology and cognitive neurosciences, REFLECTS aims at studying mechanisms for perception of oneself and metacognition involved in this paradigm of false feedback. Preliminary studies have already established that hearing oneself speak with a more joyful tone has a positive effect on the speaker’s emotions (Aucouturier et al., PNAS 2016). Finally, from a clinical point of view, the project intends to test the therapeutic impact of this type of system to treat patients suffering from deficiencies in self-perception and emotional control (alexithymia) in post-traumatic troubles. The project will lead to clinical trials on a group of PTSD patients selected in collaboration with the Percy Military Hospital., notably since 2019 in collaboration with the CHU de Lille hospital.
IRCAM's Team : Sound Perception and Design
