Making New Devices Real

Seminar Series: HCI Seminar Series 2018

Speaker: Steve Hodges

Speaker Affiliation: Microsoft

Host: Stefanie Mueller

Host Affiliation: MIT/CSAIL

Date: Monday, December 10\, 2018

Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Location: Star Room (32-D463)

Abstract:

In the first part of this talk I will describe SenseCam, one of the first wearable cameras to be developed, and its application in support of patients with memory impairments. As a researcher who aims to seed new types of hardware device in the market and change people's perceptions of how they can use technology, in many ways SenseCam was the 'perfect' project. The device was adopted enthusiastically, both by memory-impaired patients wishing to improve their recall, and by researchers and clinicians as a tool to support their work. Unfortunately, in the long-term SenseCam has not (yet) proven to be a viable commercial product.

Despite recent advances in tools, processes and resources in support of hardware design and prototyping, I believe it's actually becoming more difficult to make the transition from research prototype to commercially viable product. In the second part of the talk I will present my perspectives on why this might be, along with some ideas about how it might be addressed. My ultimate aim is to enable a 'long tail' of hardware products, which fuel innovation in the device space whilst simultaneously providing greater customer choice.

Relevant URL: hci.mit.edu/hci-seminar.html

For more information please contact: Amy Shea-Slattery, 617-253-6002, amyshea@csail.mit.edu