NUO

Therapy that understands you.

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Inspiration

Mental-health care is in crisis. Nearly 1 billion people worldwide live with a diagnosable disorder, yet more than 70 % never receive adequate treatment. Traditional therapy is pricey, scarce outside cities, and weighed down by stigma. At the same time, digital mental health has exploded, proving people are ready for tech-enabled care. NUO was born to put a round-the-clock, judgment-free assistant in every pocket—and get users to trained clinicians the moment deeper help is needed.

What it does

Marlene is NUO’s single, multifaceted agent. Powered by a blend of OpenAI language models, ElevenLabs voice synthesis, and Tavus.io personalized video, she:

  1. Listens & supports. Uses CBT-inspired prompts, grounding exercises, and mood tracking to help users de-stress in real time.
  2. Schedules therapy. Finds open slots with licensed clinicians and books them directly to the user’s calendar.
  3. Flags crises. Detects self-harm language or acute distress and instantly surfaces 988 (US) or location-specific hotlines.
  4. Personalizes growth plans. Nudges users toward micro-habits and journaling exercises that fit their history and goals.

Features

  1. ** Video call: Join a video session with Marlene
  2. ** Messaging: Have a direct conversation with the agent anytime of the day
  3. ** Call widget: Book sessions with a therapist or ask for help when needed
  4. ** Resource page: Find helpful materials for reliable third-party sources like the National Institute of Health (NIH)

Instructions

  1. Visit https://nuo.netlify.app/login
  2. Enter any email and password to login. No credentials are stored in the current stage of this application
  3. Go to the settings page and configure your credentials for tarvus.io, Openai, and Elevenlabs. You will need these to interact with the application.

How we built it

Layer Stack Highlights
Front-end React + Tailwind → Netlify Animated chat, mobile-first UI
AI engine OpenAI · ElevenLabs · Tavus.io Text, voice, and personalized video generation
DevOps GitHub CI, automated deploys, versioned prompts

Challenges we ran into

  • Safety vs. warmth – Crafting prompts that feel empathetic yet still enforce strict crisis protocols.
  • Latency – Streaming token responses and caching assets to keep average reply time under two seconds.
  • Voice fallback – Smoothly shifting from text chat to real-time ElevenLabs audio when users enable voice mode.

Accomplishments we’re proud of

  • Seamless integration of multiple AI tools into the unified platform
  • Zero missed crisis phrases across 50 simulated self-harm chats.
  • Bring your own model (BYOM) design. Emphasized data privacy without any need to store conversations or credentials in internal data stores.

What we learned

  • Prompt engineering plus voice synthesis creates a surprisingly strong sense of empathy.
  • Users value consistency and anonymity as much as human warmth—AI can deliver both.
  • Building trust early (transparent privacy wording, human oversight) accelerates adoption more than flashy features.

What’s next for NUO

  1. Clinical study – IRB-approved trial with a university counseling center if funded.
  2. Mobile application - Create IOS / Android app for NUO
  3. Emotion video check-ins – Optional selfie analysis to refine coping suggestions.
  4. Therapist dashboard – Summaries of AI chats and mood trends to shorten intake time.

NUO’s mission: meet people before they break—and guide them into care that keeps them well.

Built With

  • bolt.new
  • elevenlabs
  • netlify
  • react
  • tavus.io
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