"X-ITE PAIN" Challenge 2025

The First "X-ITE Pain" Challenge 2025

Call for Participation
Pain is a deeply subjective experience – and that’s exactly what makes it so difficult to assess reliably. This is especially true for non-verbal patients, infants, or individuals with cognitive impairments, where self-reporting isn’t an option. Objective pain recognition, based on physiological, audio and/or visual data, could play a key role in improving diagnostic precision and clinical care.

The "X-ITE Pain" challenge invites researchers, data specialists and AI enthusiats from around the world to develop innovative machine learning models capable of reliably detecting and assessing pain based on a wide variety of signals (modalities). The approach is fully open: You and your team decide which signals/data to use and which methods to apply. Whether classic techniques or deep learning, unimodal or multimodal – the goal is to explore new ways to make pain measurable.

Available Data
The challenge is based on a modified subset of the multi-modal "X-ITE Pain" database and includes the following signals:

* Facial EMG (electromyography) * Full-body video
* EMG of M. trapezius * Frontal face video
* SCL (skin conductance level) * Side view face video
* ECG (electrocardiogram) * Thermal video (face)
* Audio (vocal expressions)

➜ Further information on the (not yet published) complete "X-ITE Pain" database:
      Multi-Modal Signals for Analyzing Pain Responses to Thermal and Electrical Stimuli 

Research with Impact
The "X-ITE Pain" challenge offers a unique opportunity to contribute to both fundamental and applied research. The models developed may help clinical systems to detect pain where it currently goes unrecognized and untreated. Take this opportunity to explore new approaches, challenge existing boundaries, and spark progress in humane, AI-supported medicine.
Also note that this challenge will follow a sporty, fast-paced format: its tight timeline (see "Important Dates") is designed to promote focused, creative solutions and encourage a rapid scientific response.

So what are you waiting for?
Register now, download the data, and get started.
We look forward to your ideas, models, and innovations!