Using home video and AI to track babies' emotions and caregiver interactions
Official title: Validation of a Virtual Still Face Procedure and Deep Learning Algorithms to Assess Infant Emotion Regulation and Infant-Caregiver Interactions in the Wild
Funded at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · NIH-11145933 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses smartphone video, wearable sensors, and AI to measure how infants manage emotions and interact with caregivers in everyday home settings, with attention to babies at risk from prenatal substance exposure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Champaign, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $537,827 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA059422-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11145933 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Caregivers (adults) with infants or young children (0–11 years), especially families with prenatal substance exposure or who have concerns about emotion regulation or caregiver–child interactions, are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Families without access to a smartphone or unwilling/unable to record home interactions, or people seeking immediate medical treatment for addiction rather than developmental monitoring, are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
We will ask caregivers to record short home videos and use small wearable sensors while doing a brief, guided interaction with their infant that mirrors a 'still-face' task adapted for everyday life. Researchers will apply deep-learning computer models to the videos and sensor data to find moment-to-moment emotional reactions and interaction patterns. The plan is to make data collection easier for families and more reflective of real home life than brief lab visits. The goal is to create tools that could help spot early signs of emotion regulation or relationship difficulty without heavy clinic burdens.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could make it easier to detect babies who need extra support and connect families to early interventions sooner, especially after prenatal substance exposure.
How similar studies have gone: Lab-based 'still-face' tests and wearable-sensor studies have shown useful signals, but applying virtual tasks and deep-learning to natural home videos is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcelwain, Nancy L — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Study coordinator: Mcelwain, Nancy L
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Virtual Still Face and Deep Learning to Understand Infant Emotion and Caregiver Interactions
A study using video and wearable sensors to understand how infants and their caregivers regulate emotions in real life, with advanced computer methods to analyze how they interact.
-
Assessing how infants regulate emotions during interactions with caregivers using advanced technology.
This study is looking at how babies learn to manage their feelings by watching how they interact with their parents, using cool technology to track their emotions in real life, and it’s especially helpful for families with babies who might need a little extra support.
-
Understanding how caregiving affects health in neurodegenerative disease
This study looks at how caregivers feel and cope when taking care of people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, especially during tough moments, and it aims to find ways to help caregivers stay healthy and supported.
-
SAGE LEAF 2: Online positive-emotion program to ease Alzheimer's caregiver burden
An online self-guided program that helps people caring for someone with Alzheimer's build positive-emotion skills to reduce stress and loneliness.
-
Understanding how caregiving affects health in neurodegenerative diseases
This study looks at how caregivers feel and cope while taking care of people with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, aiming to find ways to help them manage their emotions better and stay healthy.
-
Understanding how caregiving affects health in neurodegenerative disease
This study looks at how caregivers feel and cope when taking care of loved ones with Alzheimer's or frontotemporal dementia, aiming to find ways to help them manage their emotions better and stay healthy while providing care.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.