Next-generation personal memory aids

Personal memory assistance is a natural application of ubiquitous computing. Portable computers are decreasing in size, increasing in capability, and the barriers constraining earlier computer-based memory aids are rapidly diminishing. With each engineering advance, a new generation of 'personal memory aids' is enabled. This paper presents iRemember, our prototype wearable 'memory prosthesis'. It allows the wearer to capture and accrue daily experiences (primarily audio) and attempts to remedy a limited set of common memory problems by providing tools to find memory triggers within such collections. This is an early step in an area ripe for growth and controversy. The social and legal implications of ubiquitous recording are discussed and additional memory aids designed to address other memory problems are proposed.