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CIID · 2024

A👁️

A companion that helps you remember, naturally.

  • Wearable
  • AI
  • Memory
A small laser-cut wooden device with a camera eye, a winking face and the engraved line: If you don’t use it, you lose it.

Watch on Vimeo

The short version

About 1 minute

Situation
A team project at CIID about how we remember everyday tasks.
Problem
Relying on digital tools for memory, like setting reminders on a smartphone, can weaken memory retention. We wanted to help people stay self-reliant instead.
What made it hard
  • The reminder had to prompt recall, not simply hand over the answer.
  • A device with a built-in camera raises real privacy questions.
My role

A three-person team project with Alondra Arguello and Vedant Jain.

With Alondra Arguello, Vedant Jain

Key decisions
  • You speak your tasks into the device, for example: Water the plants and call Mum at noon.
  • Each task gets its own sound, so the reminder is a cue to remember rather than the answer itself.
  • A built-in camera triggers reminders from your surroundings, like a watering sound near a plant, or a gentle chime at a set time.
Outcome
A working wearable prototype. We learned the importance of balancing technology with human cognition. Next would be addressing privacy concerns and exploring ways for people to customise it.
More about the project CIID project page

Details

Users speak their tasks into the device, for example, “Water the plants and call Mum at noon”. The device assigns a relevant sound to each task and uses a built-in camera to trigger timely reminders based on the environment. That could be a watering sound near a plant, or a gentle chime at a specific time. The user then tries to recall the associated task. It’s for people who want to become more self-reliant with task management.

Testing the device near a plant and a water jug, in a mocked-up bedroom Two teammates discussing the concept at a table covered in sketches
Sketch of the system: speech becomes text, then a list of tasks; a vision model uses the task list, a system prompt and the camera to decide which task sound to play
Pen sketch of the device with measurements, a ring binding, a camera eye and the line: If you don’t use it, you lose it
The laser-cut wooden case held in clamps while the glue sets The three of us with the finished device

What’s next

We plan to address privacy concerns and explore options for people to customise it. Building it taught us the importance of balancing technology with human cognition.