BERKELEY, Calif., Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Bamboo Technology, a mental health technology innovation company, is announcing its participation in Batch 19 of the prestigious UC Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for startup acceleration. The company’s HereHear AI therapist solution will be the key focus of the program, driven by the vision of revolutionizing mental health with AI-powered virtual solutions.
To learn more about HereHear, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngU32WgiWf4
“HereHear is here in the US, and I am truly grateful to the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for recognizing its potential,” noted Lynia Huang, Bamboo Technology’s CEO. “As important as mental health has become in recent years, there is a shortage of mental health providers and access to support is low — and HereHear is paving the way for AI to bridge that gap as a first line of defense.”
A growing case for incorporating AI into mental healthcare
With data showing that the US is in a mental health crisis, the CDC recently noted a dire need for public health initiatives that create environments centered around mental health. Specific to the workplace, the Society for Human Resource Management’s Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series found that 44% of US employees feel burned out at work. The combination of a shortage of mental health providers in the US with the flourishing capabilities of AI builds a strong case for the technology to be deployed in the form of human-guided mental health solutions.
HereHear’s YangYang: A personalized 3D virtual therapist
As organizations seek out ways to empower team members to take better care of their mental health, AI is increasingly emerging as a solution for on-demand, personalized support. Offering a more engaging interaction than chatbots, HereHear’s 3D virtual therapist YangYang was launched in January 2024 and offers:
- Sophisticated vocal and emotional analysis: Aligned with professional assessment scales, it analyzes voice features in 30 seconds to detect levels of stress, depression and happiness, assessing both verbal and nonverbal cues.
- Broad accessibility: Multiple languages and real-time, personalized support
- Powered by AI and deep learning: Continuously learns from patient interaction
YangYang has already been implemented in several therapy clinics and has helped 70% of users improve stress and depression levels by 25% within 3 months.
Taking the form of a sheep further distinguishes her — this functions both to provide a ‘cute’ aspect lending to the warm, healing emotional support she provides, while also helping users who are struggling emotionally to keep in perspective that their interactions are ultimately not with a human.
Bringing success in Taiwan to the US market
Bamboo Technology’s acceptance into the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program is a major accomplishment as the platform seeks to enter the US market. Batch 19 has only 117 startups out of around 2300 applications, and the program will support HereHear to develop, pilot and launch, as well as to pitch for funding. The company aims to target the app in the human resources space—as a tool for companies to offer staff for on-demand, privacy-first mental health support.
Back in Taiwan, the app already has hospitals, mental health clinics, universities, publicly listed companies, and government agencies that use it, similarly spurred by a shortage of mental health workers.
About Bamboo Technology
Established in November 2018, the Taipei-based Bamboo Technology is a mental health technology innovation company that focuses on improving public mental health with voice emotion analysis technology. It embraces a belief that a universal, objective, and scientific mental health system can effectively solve the problem of deteriorating mental health in today’s society — a core tenet upheld by its many psychologists; social workers; and information management, AI and big data experts.
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SOURCE BAMBOO TECHNOLOGY LTD.
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