# LifeBioTALK: Digital Engagement with a Pre-Scripted Avatar for People with Alzheimer's Disease to Reduce Challenging Behaviors and Caregiver Burden > **NIH NIH R43** · LIFEBIO INC · 2024 · $432,337 ## Abstract Project Summary/Abstract LifeBio develops agetech for care management of people with dementia (PWD). In this proposed SBIR Phase I, we will build out the prototype of LifeBioTALK, a tablet-based platform designed to provide stimulating and engaging audiovisual content to PWD narrated by a human-like pre-scripted avatar. The eventual vision for LifeBioTALK is to simulate natural conversation with an avatar narrating audiovisual episodes with appropriate multimedia content with no need for a human behind the narration. Our work is predicated on the idea that engaging with appropriate content with simulated human interaction may lessen the impact of loneliness on the person with AD/ADRD. We anticipate a large commercial market in home care settings as well as in residential care settings when caregivers are seeking a simple way to engage PWD. In Phase I, LifeBio will design the LifeBioTALK prototype with six scripted 22-minute episodes narrated by a human-looking “talking” avatar. The MVP will have the ability to record video and audio responses from participants and will use the iPad’s built-in TrueDepth camera to collect participant response data to conduct preliminary objective assessments of engagement with the LifeBioTALK content. LifeBio will elicit user feedback to finalize a usable prototype. In Aim 2, our collaborators at Brown University Division of Geriatrics will conduct a fidelity trial with 35 dyads (a person with dementia and their care partner) to evaluate acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of LifeBioTALK for PWD. Caregivers will set up the tablet and PWD will watch six 22-minute LifeBioTALK episodes (2 a day x 3 days). The caregiver and PWD will complete the system usability scale (SUS). Feasibility will be determined by usability scores of >30 (out of 50) on the SUS. Participants will also complete open-ended feedback questions about the product. Our long-term vision for LifeBioTALK in Phase II is that the platform will have individualized and varied content that objectively engages the PWD. The fully built out LifeBioTALK (in a future Phase II) will ‘learn’ to detect when users like or dislike content based on AI/ML that integrates facial imaging detection. We anticipate that PWD using LifeBioTALK will have a reduction in challenging behaviors because the experience with the product will promote mental stimulation and enjoyment and reduce feelings of loneliness. We anticipate the product will lessen caregiver burden by offering periods of respite while the PWD is engaged with tailored, customized content in Phase II. Importantly, to promote commercialization of the LifeBio suite of products, the LifeBioTALK will leverage our NIA SBIR-funded LifeBioMEMORY life story app technology to gather the background, story, and care preferences stored in LifeBio’s database to expedite customization of LifeBioTALK episodes in Phase II. We anticipate that this will be a competitive market solution to the well-established findi... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10820974 - **Project number:** 1R43AG082588-01A1 - **Recipient organization:** LIFEBIO INC - **Principal Investigator:** Lisbeth Sanders - **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2024 - **Award amount:** $432,337 - **Award type:** 1 - **Project period:** 2024-09-25 → 2025-08-31 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10820974 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10820974, LifeBioTALK: Digital Engagement with a Pre-Scripted Avatar for People with Alzheimer's Disease to Reduce Challenging Behaviors and Caregiver Burden (1R43AG082588-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10820974. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*