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Virtual Digital Family: An AI System for Elderly Care

Oct. 2024 – May 2025
#AI #Healthcare #Python #Research

Role: Independent Researcher · Period: Oct. 2024 – May 2025

I engineered an AI-powered virtual companion designed for elderly users, combining several interaction technologies into one real-time system so that conversation feels natural rather than scripted.

  • Speech-to-text. Converting the user’s spoken input into text so the companion can understand and respond to natural conversation.
  • Facial-expression transfer. Driving the virtual character’s expressions from the interaction context, so that it responds with appropriate non-verbal cues rather than a static face.
  • Voice simulation and lip synchronization. Generating a suitable voice and aligning lip movement to it, keeping audio and visual output consistent in real time.
  • Real-time interaction. Integrating these components into a single pipeline that supports live, back-and-forth conversation rather than pre-recorded responses.

The project was selected to represent Team China at the International Research Project Olympiad (IRPrO) in Indonesia (Jul 2025), competing against teams from 42+ countries and earning a Silver Award in the Technology & Computer category for its application of AI to geriatric care.