MUHS and Nihilent Collaborate on AI-Driven Emotion Detection in Healthcare
The Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), Nashik, overseeing more than 600 medical and allied health institutions, has partnered with Nihilent to apply Emoscape, an AI-based emotion detection platform, in clinical healthcare settings. This collaboration integrates the ancient Indian concept of Navarasa with modern technology to enhance emotional diagnostics.
Emoscape identifies nine core human emotions—love, joy, compassion, anger, courage, fear, disgust, wonder, and calmness—by analysing upper-body movement in 3D. Rooted in traditional Indian emotional theory, this approach provides a culturally meaningful framework for assessing emotional states.
A New Approach to Emotional Wellness
Lt Gen Dr Madhuri Kanitkar (Retd), Vice Chancellor of MUHS, emphasized the importance of treating both mind and body in healthcare. She stated, “By merging Navarasa’s time-honoured wisdom with advanced AI, we are entering a new era of understanding emotional wellness.” The platform is intended to give clinicians, researchers, and students tools to assess mental and emotional health with greater precision and empathy.
Applications Across Healthcare
The partnership plans to deploy Emoscape in diverse clinical areas, including:
- Non-communicable diseases
- Adolescent mental health
- Maternal emotional care
- Pre-surgery counselling
- Psychiatric evaluations
Patient privacy will remain a priority throughout these implementations. This initiative fits within MUHS’s broader goal of integrating emotional diagnostics into patient-centered care.
Industry Insights and Future Prospects
Sandeep Pendurkar, Business Director of Emoscape at Nihilent, highlighted the blend of cultural knowledge, AI, and clinical insight this project offers. He noted that Emoscape’s accurate emotion detection can significantly improve personalized care models, shifting healthcare toward greater emotional awareness.
The collaboration also includes practical learning opportunities for MUHS students through Nihilent’s Summer Internship Programme, preparing future healthcare professionals to work effectively with emerging AI technologies in clinical environments.
Research and Leadership
Formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by MUHS leadership—including Vice-Chancellor Dr Madhuri Kanitkar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Milind Nikumbh, Registrar Dr Rajendra Bangal, and Assistant Registrar Sandeep Rathod—and Nihilent representatives Sandeep Pendurkar, Principal Data Scientist Saurabh Shaligram, and Associate Consultant Sai Sanjana Chitturi, this partnership aims to produce empirical research and advance the clinical use of emotion-detection AI.
Expert View on Emotive AI in Healthcare
Deepak Shikarpur, IT expert, commented on the growing role of AI in India’s healthcare system: “Emotive AI focuses on recognizing and interpreting human emotions, which is critical for early detection and monitoring of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and stress. In a country with a challenging patient-to-doctor ratio, tools like Emoscape can provide valuable support in delivering effective care.”
This initiative demonstrates a practical step toward incorporating AI-driven emotional assessment into healthcare, offering new avenues to support mental and emotional well-being.
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