A new kind of technology is stepping into the mental health space, and it’s doing so using something you already have: your phone’s front camera.

An app called Emobot is already being used by hundreds of people to track their mood and monitor the impact of depression treatments, showing how artificial intelligence is changing mental health care.

Emobot works by analysing your facial expressions throughout the day using your device’s front camera. The app then creates a mood report, similar to how fitness apps track your steps or heart rate.

Samuel Lerman, one of the co-founders, explained that in France, Emobot is officially recognised as a medical device, and the company is working directly with psychiatrists to prescribe it to patients.

At first, the team behind Emobot was unsure how people would react to an app that’s always watching through the camera.

"The camera is open in the background all the time," Lerman told The Metro.
 "So we were a bit skeptical about that aspect; however, the feedback was pretty good."

They were concerned it might feel too invasive, especially since a future version of the app may also listen to your tone of voice using the phone’s microphone.

However, Lerman reassured users that no images or data leave the phone. He added that the camera footage is processed locally on the device using AI and is then deleted immediately; it’s never sent to a central server.

At the VivaTech 2025 conference in Paris, where thousands of startups from over 50 countries gathered, Emobot’s real-time emotion tracking feature was on display. A live demo showed Metro reporter Jen Mills being labelled both “pleased” and “bored” at the same time, showing the complexity of human emotion.

According to Lerman, the app’s goal is not only to monitor mood but also to help doctors track a patient’s progress and spot any signs of sudden emotional decline or relapse.

Mental well-being took the spotlight at VivaTech this year, alongside cutting-edge AI innovations. Many startups are now focusing on using technology to improve mental health, showing that it’s becoming a top priority in the tech world.

Other emotion-detecting tools similar to Emobot are being developed for workplaces, helping managers see if employees are tired or distracted by checking facial cues while they work at their computers.

Emobot is one of the first apps of its kind to be used in real-world clinical settings, and it could signal a future where mental health monitoring is as common as checking your steps or sleep.

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