Mumbai Developer With Bell's Palsy Builds AI Facial Recovery Tool 'Mirror' Using Machine Learning

Mumbai: Ali Mustafa, a developer advocate and machine learning educator, has transformed a personal health challenge into an AI-powered rehabilitation tool aimed at helping patients monitor facial recovery progress.

Bell's Palsy affected right side of face after Singapore trip

Mustafa shared his story through a post on X, where he revealed that he was recently diagnosed with Bell's Palsy after returning to Mumbai from a conference trip to Singapore. According to him, the condition suddenly affected the right side of his face, leaving him unable to blink properly or perform normal facial movements.

In the video accompanying the post, Mustafa described the emotional impact of temporarily losing abilities central to his profession as a public speaker and developer advocate. Instead of stepping away entirely, he decided to use his experience in machine learning and AI to build a recovery platform called “Mirror”.

MediaPipe tracks over 400 facial points for symmetry analysis

The application is designed to assist people undergoing facial rehabilitation exercises by analysing facial symmetry in real time. Using MediaPipe facial landmark technology, the system tracks more than 400 points across the face and compares movements on the unaffected side with those on the weakened side. The app evaluates exercises such as smiling, eyebrow raises, and eye closure, generating progress scores that can later be reviewed by physiotherapists.

Mirror also allows users to record daily exercise sessions, maintain a recovery journal, and create time-lapse visualizations to track improvement over time. Mustafa explained that the platform follows a mobile-first approach so patients can comfortably use their phones like a mirror while performing exercises.

Plan to publicly deploy project and release source code on GitHub

He added that he plans to publicly deploy the project and potentially release the source code on GitHub so others dealing with similar conditions can benefit from it. Mustafa also said he is already working with his physiotherapist to explore a version that could support additional patients undergoing facial rehabilitation therapy.

The project has gained attention online for blending accessible AI tools with healthcare-focused recovery support. Although Mustafa said he will remain away from public appearances for some time, he expressed optimism about his recovery and said he hopes to return stronger in the coming weeks.

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