Every stage of life is impacted by mental health diseases, which range from dementia to schizophrenia. The World Health Organization estimates that one in eight people worldwide suffer from a mental condition and that poor mental health costs the world economy $1 trillion in lost productivity each year. Effective treatment for mental health illnesses depends on an early and precise diagnosis, just like it does for many illnesses. Nevertheless, unlike, for instance, a heart attack, which can be detected through tests that detect particular signs or "biomarkers" linked with the disorder, no clear-cut biomarkers for mental health issues have yet been identified. This is due to the intricate interplay of factors that causes mental diseases, such as heredity, biological predisposition, and unfavorable living circumstances.

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system that recognizes hand gestures by combining skin-like electronics with computer vision. The recognition of human hand gestures by AI systems has been a valuable development over the last decade and has been adopted in high-precision surgical robots, health monitoring equipment and in gaming systems. AI gesture recognition systems that were initially visual-only have been improved upon by integrating inputs from wearable sensors, an approach known as'data fusion'. The wearable sensors recreate the skin's sensing ability, one of which is known as'somatosensory'. However, gesture recognition precision is still hampered by the low quality of data arriving from wearable sensors, typically due to their bulkiness and poor contact with the user, and the effects of visually blocked objects and poor lighting.

The recognition of human hand gestures by AI systems has been a valuable development over the last decade and has been adopted in high-precision surgical robots, health monitoring equipment and in gaming systems. AI gesture recognition systems that were initially visual-only have been improved upon by integrating inputs from wearable sensors, an approach known as'data fusion'. The wearable sensors recreate the skin's sensing ability, one of which is known as'somatosensory'. However, gesture recognition precision is still hampered by the low quality of data arriving from wearable sensors, typically due to their bulkiness and poor contact with the user, and the effects of visually blocked objects and poor lighting. Further challenges arise from the integration of visual and sensory data as they represent mismatched datasets that must be processed separately and then merged at the end, which is inefficient and leads to slower response times.

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system that recognises hand gestures by combining skin-like electronics with computer vision. The recognition of human hand gestures by AI systems has been a valuable development over the last decade and has been adopted in high-precision surgical robots, health monitoring equipment and in gaming systems. AI gesture recognition systems that were initially visual-only have been improved upon by integrating inputs from wearable sensors, an approach known as'data fusion'. The wearable sensors recreate the skin's sensing ability, one of which is known as'somatosensory'. However, gesture recognition precision is still hampered by the low quality of data arriving from wearable sensors, typically due to their bulkiness and poor contact with the user, and the effects of visually blocked objects and poor lighting.

To pursue his education, Mumbai-born Professor Subra Suresh travelled to the US with less than $100 in his pocket, toting a half-filled suitcase. His story is one of the power of education, a value instilled in him by his mother from an early age, he notes. Suresh rose to become the first Asian-born academic to lead the National Science Foundation, an American agency with an US$8bn research budget, and joined Singapore's Nanyang Technological University in January as its new President. GovInsider caught up with him to learn more about his vision for the university. In one of his first moves, the university has partnered with Chinese tech giant Alibaba to set up a joint AI research institute – the first of its kind outside of China.

Say hello to Nadine, a "receptionist" at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore). She is friendly, and will greet you back. Next time you meet her, she will remember your name and your previous conversation with her. She looks almost like a human being, with soft skin and flowing brunette hair. She smiles when greeting you, looks at you in the eye when talking, and can also shake hands with you. And she is a humanoid.