Seoul – August 19, 2022 –

People and Technology Co., Ltd. has been selected for the Mental Health R&D Program by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The company will work alongside DigitalMedic Co., Ltd. and Yonsei University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation to address critical challenges in mental health rehabilitation, such as time and location constraints and compliance issues. The project, titled "Development and Clinical Validation of a Smartphone-Based Digital Phenotype Monitoring and Early Intervention Product for Customized Mental Health Rehabilitation", will run for two years.

Key Project Goals and Responsibilities

• People and Technology: Responsible for designing the software architecture of the early intervention application for mental health rehabilitation patients.
• DigitalMedic Co., Ltd.: Develops the monitoring system based on smartphone digital phenotypes and AI models for anomaly detection in rehabilitation therapy.
• Yonsei University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation: Focuses on establishing clinical guidelines and designing evaluation indicators for anomalies associated with mental health rehabilitation patients.

Early Intervention Application Development

By 2023, People and Technology aims to launch an application capable of early intervention based on smartphone-generated digital phenotypes. When an anomaly is predicted, the application will automatically activate and facilitate early intervention.

The app will:

• Capture digital phenotypes from smartphone sensors (e.g., location, screen on/off, ambient light levels).
• Process data to derive insights such as activity patterns (e.g., sleep duration, time at specific locations).
• Monitor interactions like response times and cognitive activity from smartphone keyboards to predict anomalies.

Features and Functions

• Behavioral and Cognitive Monitoring: Analyze data like mobility patterns, app usage, and environmental factors to detect changes in mental health.
• Two-Way Communication: Integrate with messaging platforms like SMS or KakaoTalk and execute application calls through APIs for a seamless user experience.
• Personalized Alerts: Offer real-time anomaly detection and risk factor analysis tailored to individual patient profiles.
• Lifecycle Monitoring: Cover the entire rehabilitation cycle, from anomaly detection to intervention and reevaluation, ensuring comprehensive care.
• Intervention Protocols: Include stepwise and severity-based intervention scenarios, enabling timely and tailored support.

Impact and Benefits

The smartphone-based solution addresses spatial and temporal barriers in mental health rehabilitation, providing real-time monitoring and intervention without requiring additional devices. This innovation has the potential to:

• Enhance treatment compliance through 24/7 smartphone accessibility.
• Facilitate the early diagnosis and intervention of mental health issues, reducing societal and personal challenges.
• Be directly or indirectly applied to the rehabilitation of approximately 3 million individuals living with mental health conditions.

Hong Sung-pyo, CEO of People and Technology, remarked, "The ability to monitor and intervene with just a smartphone offers unparalleled convenience and adherence. We look forward to the results of this groundbreaking research."

This initiative demonstrates the growing role of digital health tools in addressing critical mental health challenges and advancing personalized care solutions.