The eddii virtual health buddy app, launched on Monday in India in the run-up to the World Diabetes Day, solves that problem by gamifying health tracking and management.
eddii is an AI-powered virtual character who guides diabetic users on a digital adventure. The whimsical cartoon leaf uses stories, jokes and games to encourage people to input data like carb counts, insulin usage, exercise notes and mood.
Advanced technology allows the chatbot to examine that data and identify patterns. For example, people suffering diabetes will discover that within hours of eating a certain food, their mood shifts.
“While there have been significant advancements in diabetes treatment that make it easier to control, lifestyle-choice tracking has been slow in many regards, focusing primarily on presenting data rather than engaging the user and teaching them how to take charge of their health,” said eddii Founder and CEO Farhaneh Ahmadi.
“The team of scientists, artists and engineers at eddii created a solution that allows people to take charge of their relationship with chronic illness such as diabetes,” Ahmadi said.
The eddii team chose India because many people in the country are currently struggling with diabetes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly nine per cent of adults in India have diabetes. The eddii team worked with a psychologist to build techniques common in ‘Cognitive Behavioural Therapy’ into the app.
That means eddii can recognise unhealthy patterns and help you change them.
“This is so much more than a journal or tracking app, we are harnessing the power of machine learning to really make a difference in people’s lives,” Ahmadi said.
