Microsoft SenseCam to be mass produced

Scientists at Microsoft Research Cambridge have for years been working on SenseCam, a wearable device that records at regular intervals photos of its user's environment. The camera comes with enough memory to store up to 30,000 VGA resolution images along with the necessary tools for the user to browse the data using her computer. The VGA camera is not the only sensor on the device. According to the project website,

SenseCam also contains a number of different electronic sensors. These include light-intensity and light-color sensors, a passive infrared (body heat) detector, a temperature sensor, and a multiple-axis accelerometer. These sensors are monitored by the camera’s microprocessor, and certain changes in sensor readings can be used to automatically trigger a photograph to be taken.

The main goal behind SenseCam is to help those with memory problems to remember important events. People suffering from Alzheimer's disease have been shown to benefit from the use of SenseCam.

The following video gives a brief explanation of how SenseCam works and how it is meant to help those with memory problems (keep in mind that the video may be a couple of years old but the information is still correct.)



A UK company, Vicon, has recently licensed the technology and they have committed to mass producing the device. According to Microsoft Research there is a huge demand for SenseCam which they could not satisfy. According to the Press Release, Vicon unveiled their SenseCam product at the annual Neuroscience Conference in Chicago on October 17-21. I believe the new product is called the ViconRevue.

I really hope that this product is only used by those who truly need it and it is not turned into another toy for the Twitter generation; the last thing I want is to be surrounded by people who have no sense of privacy taking my photo everywhere I go.