COVID-19 detection from coughs and speech
A team of researchers from IST (Instituto Superior Técnico – Universidade de Lisboa) and INESC-ID (Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Investigação e Desenvolvimento), coordinated by Isabel Trancoso, is developing a new project to explore the possibility of automatically detecting COVID-19 from its effects on cough and speech.
This project would allow developing a cheap, fast and easy to use artificial intelligence-based tool (deployed as a web platform and/or a mobile application) that could provide a preliminary assessment of potential infection by COVID-19. Although not a clinical diagnosis, this is valuable information that would help individuals to adopt preventive measures, and public and private healthcare operators, institutions, companies, etc. to optimize their screening campaigns by allowing them to focus their attention on suspected infected individuals.
For this goal, it is fundamental to collect an extensive dataset with representative examples of speech and simulated coughs and snores from both COVID-19 positive (symptomatic and asymptomatic) and negative individuals (ideally including also participants with respiratory conditions other than COVID-19, such as flu, cold, asthma, etc.). Then, signal processing and machine learning techniques will be used to assess the presence of biomarkers indicative of COVID-19 in coughs and speech, and to develop robust systems for the detection of COVID-19.
“We hope that this work will not end with the current pandemic and will allow us to continue studying clues of diseases that affect the respiratory system through acoustic signals that can be collected in a non-intrusive way”, said Isabel Trancoso, The Project Coordinator.
Your participation in this study is essential and warmly appreciated. To participate, just follow this link (where you can find the informed consent form), or use the following QR code.
More info: https://www.hlt.inesc-id.pt/w/COVID19
Upcoming Events
Educational Workshop on Responsible AI for Peace and Security (UNODA)
On June 6 and 7, The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) are offering a selected group of technical students the opportunity to join a 2-day educational workshop on Responsible AI for peace and security.
The third workshop in the series will be held in Porto Salvo, Portugal, in collaboration with GAIPS, INESC-ID, and Instituto Superior Técnico. The workshop is open to students affiliated with universities in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa, Oceania, and Asia.
Date & Time: June 6 a 7
Where: IST – Tagus Park, Porto Salvo
Registration deadline: April 8
Summary: “As with the impacts of Artificial intelligence (AI) on people’s day-to-day lives, the impacts for international peace and security include wide-ranging and significant opportunities and challenges. AI can help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but its dual-use nature means that peaceful applications can also be misused for harmful purposes such as political disinformation, cyberattacks, terrorism, or military operations. Meanwhile, those researching and developing AI in the civilian sector remain too often unaware of the risks that the misuse of civilian AI technology may pose to international peace and security and unsure about the role they can play in addressing them. Against this background, UNODA and SIPRI launched, in 2023, a three-year educational initiative on Promoting Responsible Innovation in AI for Peace and Security. The initiative, which is supported by the Council of the European Union, aims to support greater engagement of the civilian AI community in mitigating the unintended consequences of civilian AI research and innovation for peace and security. As part of that initiative, SIPRI and UNODA are organising a series of capacity building workshops for STEM students (at PhD and Master levels). These workshops aim to provide the opportunity for up-and-coming AI practitioners to work together and with experts to learn about a) how peaceful AI research and innovation may generate risks for international peace and security; b) how they could help prevent or mitigate those risks through responsible research and innovation; c) how they could support the promotion of responsible AI for peace and security.”