Emobot wins Rep. Mike Ezell’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Mississippi’s Fourth District

When asked what inspired the creation of Emobot, Jiarui Xie said, “From an early age, I realized that not everyone experiences communication in the same way. As I spent time with a childhood friend, I wondered why she always missed my jokes and why she often spoke in a flat tone even when expressing excitement. I didn’t understand why at first, until my mom explained that she had autism. At that time, I didn’t think much of it. Years later, while tutoring a young boy with autism, I was reminded of the challenges that children with autism faced in communication, especially in emotion recognition.

“Seeing his frustration, I began to conduct research to discover possible solutions. CDC AADM Network showed that 1 in every 36 children in the US is diagnosed with autism, a rate that has been steadily rising over the years. While many may suggest the use of therapy or a psychologist, the truth is that the cost may be too high for most families. Many families simply cannot afford the high cost of therapy sessions, leaving children with ASD without adequate tools to help them improve their communication skills. In addition, for some children, the unfamiliar environment of the therapy sessions can add on to their stress, potentially limiting the effectiveness of the treatment. Research has shown that rather than communicating with human beings, those with autism tend to enjoy themselves and be engaged when interacting with computers, as these interactions occur in a safe and trustworthy environment. While many existing technologies aim to help with emotion recognition, most of them focus on facial expressions rather than emotions in speech. However, research indicates that recognizing emotions in speech is crucial for effective communication. This gap highlighted the need for more supportive learning tools to help children with autism identify emotions in human speech. Hoping to bridge this gap, I pondered on ways to utilize technology to create change, which led me to create my app, Emobot.”