At the Edge of Empathy: Mental-Health Awareness Through Home-Router Network Traffic Insights
Abstract
At the Edge of Empathy explores how home network routers, often regarded as silent intermediaries of digital life, can become privacy preserving instruments for mental health awareness. Positioned at the edge of the network, the router offers a unique vantage point that is close enough to capture behavioral rhythms while distant enough to protect the content of personal communication. This balance between technical precision and human sensitivity frames the central idea of the thesis, which is empathy through design rather than intrusion. Depression often develops gradually, but the behavioral changes that precede a diagnosable episode are rarely observed early enough for effective intervention. Device centered sensing can be intrusive and fragmented across devices, which leaves a gap for transparent household level observation.