Real-Time Stress Detection Using Facial Images and Convolutional Neural Networks

Stress is one of the prevailing issues in today's world, deeply impacting the actual well-being of individuals. In this paper, we introduce an innovative method to detect stress that deviates from the mainstream approaches, which rely solely on physiologic signals and self-reporting. Our non-invasive, efficient, and scalable real-time system, built on the facial image data processed by CNNs, makes real-time human stress detection possible. The system captures facial expressions through video or static images, which it then processes within a CNN model to identify stress-related features. CNNs are particularly innovative in that they are adept at automatically extracting and learning hierarchical features from extremely complex, unstructured data like facial images. Facial expression datasets were used to train and test the proposed model in different stress conditions. The model achieved a very good accuracy level in differentiating stressed from non-stressed states, thus putting it on par with professionals. Real-time testing of the system's performance was done on edge devices such as smartphones to prove its potential for use in real-life applications related to mobile health. As facial image data is utilised by the system, thereby killing the need for wearable sensors or invasive physiological monitoring, the approach would be more accessible for detecting stress levels. This research showed that CNN models developed based on facial images can transform stress monitoring. Its implications are wide, applicable in health care, workplace settings, and even self-manageable personal stress. In future work, the model should be generalised for diverse populations, the system's real-time capabilities enhanced, and multimodal data further integrated to increase detection accuracy and reliability.