Camera help to retain memory in Alzheimer’s patients
A wearable camera that automatically snaps photos throughout the day is helping people with memory loss and may soon be employed to tackle memory deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
The camera, called a SenseCam, was developed by Microsoft in a UK laboratory and is now being tested for its use in more complicated memory applications, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
A person wears the digital camera on a cord around their neck, while a fish-eye lens with wide-angle viewing captures almost everything the patients can see. The camera automatically takes pictures at timed intervals (typically every 30 seconds) or whenever built-in sensors detect a significant change in light intensity, colour, body heat or movement.
The camera can store 30,000 images in its one-gigabyte memory, equal to about two weeks of automatic picture taking. Images can be transferred to a laptop or other personal computer and displayed on a screen.
The SenseCam can be used in the Alzheimer’s application to record an important event that the person wants to remember, such as visits to family or friends. The person can then play them back repeatedly and on-demand from the PC, meaning these potentially forgotten memories survive much better than they would through other means.
Microsoft has not yet decided to commercialise the camera and plans further research before deciding SenseCam’s future.
