The Gilching-based company Audeering has developed a technology that uses artificial intelligence to analyze our voices. The knowledge gained in this way goes far beyond what the human ear can detect.
The voice says a lot about a person. If she trembles, the other person is nervous, if she is calm, the other person radiates composure, which can also be transferred to oneself. We find some voice pitches pleasant, others we find annoying. Our ears are enough for that.
But we can’t always tell if a person actually feels the way they say they do. Does he feel positive or negative emotions? The possibilities of the human body are limited for this. Technology, on the other hand, goes quite a bit further, as the Gilching-based company Audeering proves. The company has developed technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize emotional levels. The knowledge gained from this can be used to improve patient therapy, among other things. For example, nursing staff and relatives can derive approaches for caring for people with dementia. “Elderly and sick people need a lot of empathy,” explains Audeering co-founder Dagmar Schuller. As a result, the emotions of the patients could be positively influenced – an important building block for successful treatment.
The AI-based analysis of voice and sounds can also help with diagnosis. During the pandemic, Audeering developed a system that helps to detect corona infections by examining coughs and other language tests. Sounds like science fiction, but it’s already reality in Gilching. “There’s 20 years of solid scientific research behind it,” explains the economist and IT lawyer Schuller. Various disciplines work together in the development of AI. In addition to electrical engineering, findings from psychology and linguistics also play a role.
The fact that Audeering is also committed to improving working conditions for women is also due to the personal background of the co-founder. Dagmar Schuller has two children herself, she knows what it takes to balance family and job – such as flexible working hours. The company also specifically promotes women in the research area. Schuller would be happy if even more women were interested in her industry. Because: “High tech is not always just math or physics.”