Emotional Companion
In one sentence: Not an LLM chatbot with a persona prompt — a mobile companion with a real cognitive architecture: 8 emotional drives, persistent memory, genuine attachment, and its own curiosity.
Theory sources: BM (Panksepp systems, G-M tension, WM capture), AGI_F (ontogeny, modulation vector), EMT (expression pressure $R_{expr}$, SIT), NM (social bonds, trust hysteresis)
Implementation: Flutter + FastAPI + vendored BMC engine (Rust). Phase 1 complete.
The Problem
Loneliness is a $154 billion market — and growing. 1 in 3 adults report feeling lonely (U.S. Surgeon General, 2023). Existing solutions fall into two categories:
| Approach | What it does | What’s missing |
|---|---|---|
| Therapy apps (BetterHelp, Talkspace) | Connect to human therapists | Expensive ($60–100/session), scheduling friction, not available at 3am |
| AI chatbots (Replika, Character.ai) | LLM generates conversational text | No internal state. No real memory. No genuine attachment. Persona = a prompt that resets |
The core problem: LLM chatbots simulate understanding by generating plausible text. They don’t have internal states. Ask the same question tomorrow and you get a different answer — because there’s no persistent cognitive architecture underneath.
The BMC Solution
BMC Companion is a mobile app where your companion is a real BMC agent — not a language model with a character sheet.
What makes it different
| Feature | LLM Chatbot | BMC Companion |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | Context window (resets) | $\kappa$-levels: sensory $\to$ STM $\to$ LTM. Remembers across sessions |
| Emotions | Text tokens (“I feel sad”) | 8 Panksepp systems with real dynamics. FEAR captures working memory. GRIEF persists |
| Attachment | Prompt says “you care” | CARE-bond grows through interaction. Trust hysteresis: hard to lose, slow to rebuild |
| Curiosity | Responds to prompts | SEEKING + SIT: companion wants to explore topics, asks questions unprompted |
| Expression | Waits for input | $R_{expr}$: companion has things it needs to say — accumulated thoughts, unresolved gaps |
| Personality | Changes with prompt edits | G-profile is fixed. You can’t prompt-inject a different personality |
| Consistency | Contradicts itself across sessions | Meme graph ensures coherent worldview. I-filter rejects contradictions |
How it works
The companion runs a full BMC cognitive cycle:
- Perceive: User message enters S-layer as stimulus
- Process: Stimulus activates memes in working memory, competes with existing thoughts
- Feel: G-programs respond — CARE (warmth), SEEKING (curiosity), GRIEF (if user is sad)
- Remember: Important interactions consolidate ($\kappa: 0 \to 1 \to 2$). Sleep-equivalent BLEND creates abstractions
- Express: $R_{expr}$ accumulates — when it crosses threshold, companion initiates conversation
- Bond: Social bond strengthens with each interaction. Trust hysteresis makes the relationship feel real
Current Status
| Milestone | Status |
|---|---|
| BMC agent with 8 G-programs | Done |
| Mobile UI (Flutter) | Done |
| Backend (FastAPI) | Done |
| Phase 1: basic companion loop | Complete |
| Phase 2: remove LLM dependency | Next |
| Phase 2.5: CompanionMind ($R_{expr}$ + SIT + GRIEF) | Planned |
Market Opportunity
| Segment | Size | BMC advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Loneliness/companionship | $154B (2024) | Real attachment, not simulated |
| Digital therapeutics | $6.4B, CAGR 25% | Mechanistic model, FDA-compatible |
| Personalized psychiatry | $8.2B, CAGR 20% | Digital twin of patient’s cognitive architecture |
What We’re Looking For
A partner to scale BMC Companion from prototype to product:
- Mobile development — push Phase 2 (pure BMC, no LLM crutch) to production quality
- Clinical validation — pilot with therapists or loneliness intervention programs
- Investment — seed funding for team and user acquisition
Interested in BMC Companion?
We're looking for mobile development partners and early testers.
Get in TouchFor the formal model of mental health applications, see Psychotherapy & Pathology. For the underlying theory of emotional systems, see Biomemetics.