MS's "Lifeblogging" Camera Enters Mass Production

holy_calamity writes "Remember Microsoft's camera to be slung around the necks of people with Alzheimer's to help them recall where they'd been? A version of this device will now be mass-produced by a UK firm, Vicon, which obtained a license from Microsoft to manufacture the camera. It is worn around the neck and takes an image every thirty seconds, or in response to its light sensor, accelerometer, or body-heat sensor indicating that something of interest may be happening. Until now only a few hundred had been made for research, which showed they can genuinely help people with memory problems. The new version will be marketed to Alzheimer's researchers this winter, and to consumers for 'lifelogging' beginning in 2010."

Re:The big problem

[Frans Faase]

In the early stages of Alzheimer, people can remember a lot. I notice this with my 52 year old wife, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in December 2006. Sometimes she can lose her keys twice within half an hour. But when I ask her to buy something, when she goes shopping, she usually succeeds in doing this. At the end of the day, she often does not know what she all did during the day. On other times she keeps repeating telling me some story about what happend during the day. I could imagine that something like "Lifeblogging" could help her to remember more of her day.

Little Brother for everyone!

[jjh37997]

Imagine if this catches on and everyone starts wearing one and uploading their "lives" online. If people freaked about Google Streetview invading their "privacy" that will be nothing compared to what will happen when this tsunami hits. If each photo or video stream is encoded with the date, time and GPS coordinates and you combine it with some good facial recognition software we can finally bring back the ancestral "village" where everyone knows what everyone else is doing, all the time, everywhere. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and these little devices can help shine it everywhere.