Sonde Health, in Collaboration with KT Corporation, to Provide Voice-Based Mental Health Monitoring Services to Help South Korea Tackle Mental Health Issues

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sonde Health and KT Corporation (KT) have agreed to collaborate on a next-generation mental health management solution.

Sonde Health will provide its clinically validated Mental Fitness vocal biomarker solution to screen users’ mental health on a daily basis. Meanwhile, KT Corporation, South Korea's largest telecommunications service provider, will offer the infrastructure and relevant services to help users improve their mental health.

Over the next few years, Sonde will work closely with KT to develop and deliver technologies using Sonde’s Mental Fitness solution, to expand access and support for mental health services for many segments of the population.

“Our voices are an early indicator of our mental fitness and, when tracked, can provide awareness that can spur behavior change in order to stay healthy,” said David Liu, CEO of Sonde Health. “Through this collaboration with KT, our vocal biomarker solution will give South Koreans insight into their mental health so they can be proactive in maintaining their well-being.”

According to Team Leader Mr. M. G. Kwak from KT's Healthcare Business Team, “KT is developing a digital platform to provide mental health wellness services to many segments of the population across Korea. Sonde Health will join KT’s initiative by integrating its voice-based mental health solutions into KT’s platform.”

Sonde Mental Fitness leverages audio signal processing, speech science, and machine learning (ML) algorithms trained on more than a million global voice samples to optimize its performance across cultures, languages, and socioeconomic groups. Using a 30-second voice sample, the technology analyzes eight acoustic features relevant to mental health and delivers a score divided into three ranges: “Pay Attention” (0-69), “Good” (70-79), and “Excellent" (80-100).

In a recent published study, Sonde Mental Fitness was found to accurately identify individuals with mental health symptoms, delivering results consistent with those of the M3 Checklist, a clinically validated, mental health assessment for depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bipolar disorder.

This partnership is part of a broader strategy to accelerate global adoption of Sonde Mental Fitness. Sonde’s vocal biomarker solution is already deployed by life insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and wellness providers in the U.S. and abroad.