Camera as memory for Alzheimer’s patients ?
January 17, 2008 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Can a wearable digital camera help jog the memory of those with memory problems.
It’s an idea that is gaining momentum. Sensecam, a camera produced by Microsoft, is currently being tested by a number of universities in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Sensacam fits in the palm of your hand and can store up to 30,000 images. It is designed to take photos every 30 seconds of daily events which can then be played back later at high speed to jog a person’s memory.
A 63 year old woman with memory loss (caused by a brain infection) has been testing the camera. She used the camera for two weeks, spending one hour every other day reviewing the images. As a result, her memory increased to such a degree that after two weeks she had about 90% recall of the events she had experience. Prior to using the camera, she would forget everything within 5 days after the event.
It’s early days but the results are looking promising.
A very interesting concept, Liz. It will be interesting to see how it works with further use.