A Little Black Box to Jog Failing Memory
From: New York Times - 03/09/2010 - page D6
By: Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

Microsoft researchers have developed Sensecam, a system for creating digital
archives of a person's experiences that could help people suffering from
memory disorders. Sensecam features a small black box containing a digital
camera and an accelerometer to measure movement. Carnegie Mellon University
(CMU) researchers had one subject go on three excursions with a Sensecam, a
voice recorder, and a global positioning system (GPS) unit. The researchers
found that the best way to help the subject remember the experiences was to
focus on a few key images that might unlock the memories related to it. For a
location-based experience, Sensecam uses data provided by the GPS and the
accelerometer to determine which images might be the most salient. "The
design is intended to give the patient the ability to engage actively with
the experience instead of simply flipping through some pictures," says CMU's
Matthew Lee. At Dublin City University, Alan Smeaton compares Sensecam images
to categorize them by activity. At the University of Toronto, Ronald Baecker
is studying the usefulness of complementing Sensecam images with an audio
narrative created by a loved one. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/health/09memory.html

Links:
New study proves that Microsoft’s sensory innovation aids memory recall 
http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/pressreleases/SenseCamPR_130309.mspx

SenseCam 2009
http://www.vicon.com/Events/SenseCam/home.htm

Introduction to SenseCam
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/sensecam/