Experiencing SenseCam: a case study interview exploring seven years living with a wearable camera

Authors: Niamh Caprani, Noel E. O'Connor, Cathal Gurrin (CLARITY: Centre for Sensor Web Technologies, Dublin City University)

Venue: Proceedings of the 4th International SenseCam & Pervasive Imaging Conference (SenseCam 2013), San Diego, CA, 18–19 November 2013, pp. 52–59

DOI: 10.1145/2526667.2526676

Archival note: The ResearchGate publication page is blocked to automated access and has no Wayback Machine snapshot, so only the abstract and bibliographic metadata could be preserved from the ResearchGate record. The full-text PDF was retrieved from Dublin City University's DORAS open-access repository (https://doras.dcu.ie/19685/1/SenseCam2013.pdf) and is preserved alongside this file as `paper.pdf`.

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from an interview with CG, an individual who has worn an automated camera, the SenseCam, every day for the past seven years. Of interest to the study were the participant's day-to-day experiences wearing the camera and whether these had changed since first wearing the camera. The findings presented outline the effect that wearing the camera has on his self-identity, relationships and interactions with people in the public. Issues relating to data capture, transfer and retrieval of lifelog images are also identified. These experiences inform us of the long-term effects of digital life capture and how lifelogging could progress in the future.

Keywords: Wearable cameras; lifelogging; lead user; interview study

Relevance to Narrative

This SenseCam lead-user study explicitly situates Memoto (the original name of the Narrative Clip) as the SenseCam's consumer successor: "In 2013, we note the development of a new set of visual lifelogging devices, such as the Memoto wearable camera and the Vicon Autographer, both of which operate as wearable cameras in a manner similar to the original SenseCam"; "With the advent of new devices such as Memoto, Autographer and Glass (as a lifelogging tool), then such sharing could become commonplace"; and "with the advent of new lifelogging devices, and the initial success of Memoto in its kick-starter campaign, it is likely that lifelogging will become a more widespread activity."