In an era of rapid technological development, families face numerous challenges: growing social isolation, decreasing quality communication, and increasing psychological problems among children and adolescents. A team of students from Lviv Polytechnic National University decided to use modern technology to overcome these challenges and created Im2be.
Im2be is an innovative app to strengthen family relationships, develop positive habits and improve family understanding. It helps families set common goals, celebrate achievements and share important life moments together. A key feature of Im2be is the integration of artificial intelligence and psychological techniques, which ensures an individual approach to each family member.
In particular, a team of students of the Internet of Things programme at Lviv Polytechnic, who study at the Department of Computerized Automation Systems, the Institute of Computer Technologies, Automation and Metrology, under the guidance of Zenovii Veres, an assistant at the Department, with the support of the university's Tech StartUp School, developed the product. Their mentor and CTO Yaroslav Klochnyk found an international investor, who they signed a deal with through Lviv Polytechnic's SID City Science Park as a classic spin-off led by Mykhailo Veselovskyi. After a year and a half of hard work, the team was joined by psychologists, mentors, and international partners from Poland and the United States.
After creating a Beta version of the app, which received positive feedback from families who participated in closed testing, the team began integrating more complex tools based on artificial intelligence:
- FlowCoach is a personal AI assistant that analyses user behaviour and offers individualised recommendations to improve communication, stress management and emotional well-being;
- TasksDerivator (under development) - a module for generating individual tasks adapted to the needs and skills of users;
- Sentiment Analyzer (part of the functionality is already available in the app, and part is still under development) - a component that recognises the emotional state of users and helps create more empathetic interactions in the family.
Im2be features include:
- the ability to create tasks and goals, improving responsibility and interaction between family members;
- gamification elements that help to engage both children and adults;
- visual elements of Halos and Bonds that demonstrate the quality of family and emotional relationships;
- secure messaging in the family circle;
- the use of Flow Coach, a personal AI assistant.
The Im2be team plans to further improve the app by integrating mechanisms that will allow them to predict possible psychological problems in adults and adolescents and prevent them at an early stage.
Thus, Im2be has grown from a student project into a full-fledged international startup that actively helps families build happier and more harmonious lives. Thanks to the efforts of Lviv Polytechnic students, mentors and partners, Im2be has become a shining example of a successful collaboration between science, technology and psychology.
