XenoSocial
A portable AI device for people with social anxiety. Users enter Earth as aliens. Sensors capture conversational tone and attitude in real time, while an AI model reviews social situations and generates personalized communication suggestions.
This project explores the neurological mechanisms underlying introversion, examining how social interactions may be more emotionally taxing for some introverts. It then analyzes two existing products, SuperBetter and Sightly, which use gamification and VR-based exposure therapy, respectively, to help alleviate social anxiety. Drawing on exposure therapy and reward-based game mechanics to encourage engagement, the project proposes a game that encourages introverts to step outside their comfort zones and practise their social skills.
The hardware setup uses a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3 microcontroller connected to wake-up and sleep buttons, a text-to-speech (TTS) module, and audio hardware. Embedded programming enables button control, speech synthesis, and audio recording. On the software side, embedded code implements wake-up and sleep controls, text-to-speech conversion, and audio recording. The hardware was assembled, wired, and tested to verify the operation of the connected components.
A green, portable hardware prototype was developed and tested by an office worker, Miss Li. She gave positive feedback, noting that the game helped her step outside her comfort zone and offered an enjoyable way to practise her social skills.
