SenseCam Aids Patients with Memory Problems

Ponca City, We Love You writes "A small digital camera developed by Microsoft Research could boost memory in people with dementia and possibly mild forms of Alzheimer's disease. SenseCam is worn around the neck and automatically takes a wide-angle, low-resolution photograph every 30 seconds. It contains an accelerometer to stabilize the image and reduce blurriness, and it can be configured to take pictures in response to changes in movement, temperature, or lighting. An entire day's events can be captured and downloaded onto a PC where software converts the pictures into a short movie displaying the images at up to 10 frames per second, to allow patients to view a day's events in a few minutes to jolt their memory. "Not only does SenseCam allow people to recall memories while they are looking at the images, which in itself is wonderful, but after an initial period of consolidation, it appears to lead to long-term retention of memories over many months, without the need to view the images repeatedly," says neuropsychologist Emma Berry."

Comments

Follow the money path

[DrYak]

Read again carefully the /. summary.

Why can't you just watch this life movie wherever you are?

Because they're microsoft.

So they can claim more copies of Vista Sold (because more people will have to install Vista on their machine to use this gadget)
And probably the technology will require that the patient's family gets equipped with "Windows Vista Home Server".
Maybe also a couple of server license sold to the Care center.

And I'm sure they'll manage to cram "Xbox" somewhat into the requirement.

Probably the only way to whatch them "on the move" would be using a Zune. Thus enabling microsoft to boast every where that they are outselling iPods 10-to-1 (in the specific field of portable media devices used to play back Alzheimer patient's memory aids).