Prototype Goggles Make Sure You Never Lose Your Keys Again

from the where-did-I-put-my... dept

Fri, Mar 14th 2008 5:08am — Mike Masnick

We've seen a whole bunch of different technology companies (and government agencies) experimenting with various projects that would allow people to wear a camera that would record everything they see and hear, as a sort of backup memory or backup brain. All of these projects are in the (completely) experimental stage, but some researchers in Japan may have come up with a nice little app to go along with them. It's a prototype system that supposedly can recognize the different objects you see. The current version requires you to go around and train the system (i.e., "this is my iPod... these are my keys... this is my mobile phone") and then it uses some recognition technologies to make a note every time you "see" one of those items. Then, if you happen to have lost something, you can just ask the system "where are my keys?" and it will play back the video of the last time you saw your keys. Depending on how well this works, it sounds quite cool. And, of course, the idea is to go much further, hitting "Terminator"-type levels of information display, including what kinds of flowers are you looking at and who is the person you're talking to. Sounds like a wonderful solution for people who can't remember anyone's name. Of course, like all the other projects of this nature, it doesn't sound likely that this will be hitting the market any time soon.

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Filed Under: backup brain, goggles, item recognition

24 Comments

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Hellsvilla, 14 Mar 2008 @ 5:45am

I doubt it
Our brains have very little latency when it comes to retrieving information on demand. This proposed system will have an exceptionally high latency in comparison. This will make it seem cludgey and uncomfortable.

People don't even like depending on accoustic enhancements because of how unnatural they feel to the user. This won't really be any different.

However, if you can show me a society where even those that have good ears wear hearing aids, and I'll believe in the viability of a psycho-visual aid. 'til then, forget it.
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Andy, 14 Mar 2008 @ 5:53am

"I have to wear this because I'm too stupid to remember what my cell phone looks like."

Plus, why are you hiding your keys? If they were in plain sight, where this thing could record them, you wouldn't need this, you'd see them. If you lose your keys when they fall between the seats in the car, will they still show up on this system?
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- Brian, 14 Mar 2008 @ 7:23am
  
  Re:
  I think what it's saying is... if you tell the goggles you lost your keys... it will search its memory and tell you where you last saw them... not verifying if you are looking at them.
  
  And no, they will not show up on the system if they fall between the car seat (and you don't see it happen) BUT chances are... you'll know where you last saw them... for example... if they drop out of your pocket while you are exiting... you'll see yourself taking them out of the ignition... and if you drop them while entering the car... you'll see yourself unlocking the door and/or putting them in your pocket.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Mar 2008 @ 6:03am

You can do your best Jean-Luc Picard and say "Computer,locate my keys"
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Hellsvilla, 14 Mar 2008 @ 6:07am

Dude!
Dude! Where's my car?
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biggiff, 14 Mar 2008 @ 6:27am

First thing I'd do
Is misplace the goggles
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Liam, 14 Mar 2008 @ 6:29am

better idea
put a little dongle on your keys that emits some sort of wave (no idea what), and these goggles, pick up the wave, and use 3D/reality mix to show a big bright glowing red dot to where the keys are, so if they are in the couch, there will be a dot on the couch and you just go over and rummage in there.

Similar to the real life/virtual reality pacman goggles.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Mar 2008 @ 6:34am

Or you could just buy a $1 carribeaner and attach your keys to your belt loop.
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- buckykat, 15 Mar 2008 @ 6:16pm
  
  Re:
  but that wouldn't be any fun. besides, with the future potential of this tech, a carabiner doesn't help me know who the hell people are or all the other cool object recognizing potentials of this thing.
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Safety Dancer, 14 Mar 2008 @ 6:43am

Are you serious?!
Really Hellsvilla?! I would wear those goggles/enhancements because I cant remember where I left things. So your who theory of latency is shot to hell. If I cant remember shit, then how is the video gonna be slower then never. This is actually a killer tech, and I think that it would be widely used. I am always saying "I just saw my damn keys" and with this tech I can say "where are my keys" and before I could remember where my keys were a video would be playing. Your right in a sense that if I knew where my keys were to begin with it would be much faster then reviewing a video. But the whole reason for the tech is because I cannot remember where I left my shit....just think before you try to sound intelligent.
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- Dancer Safety, 14 Mar 2008 @ 7:47am
  
  Re: Are you serious?!
  And you sound intelligent...How?
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moore850 (profile), 14 Mar 2008 @ 6:53am

That's not why people lose things
People mostly lose things because other people move them, not because they can't remember where they put their items in the first place. Seeing the last place I put the keys doesn't help me if they're not there anymore. A much better technology to find my keys would be an rfid tag on my keys, and readers in each room so that at least the house could tell me what room they're in.
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Tim, 14 Mar 2008 @ 7:10am

Why not just....
If it's that smart, why are we talking about keys. "Computer open my car door" "computer start the car" computer "lock the car door", why do you need objects to carry at all.
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- Anonymous Coward, 14 Mar 2008 @ 2:14pm
  
  Re: Why not just....
  aboslutely
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TheDock22, 14 Mar 2008 @ 7:41am

Forget the keys
Personally I would use this system when I go out to bars! Sometimes I can't recall what happened...
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- Hellsvilla, 14 Mar 2008 @ 7:46am
  
  Re: Forget the keys
  No, you wouldn't because with it on, noone would talk to you, let alone have a drink with you.
  
  but they might throw things at you...when you're not looking.
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  - TheDock22, 14 Mar 2008 @ 7:50am
    
    Re: Re: Forget the keys
    You kidding me? I'm a girl with technology, I'd be beating the guys away like I have to now ;)
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    - Anonymous Coward, 14 Mar 2008 @ 9:34am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Forget the keys
      Good to see geek girls have delusions on grandeur just like geek guys ;-p
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JustMe, 14 Mar 2008 @ 9:44am

Wearing goggles
I can't see myself wearing goggles inside my home all day just in the off chance I might need to ask it something later. And if I don't wear it all day then it obviously won't record. Maybe embedding the devise somewhere permenant...like my eyeball. Volunteers anyone?
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Mar 2008 @ 9:48am

you could also
use it for face recognition. it could sample databases based on location to ease filtering. Cops could use it as a way of identifying criminals from out-of-state based off a database of known criminals at large. A eyewitness could also "tag" criminals in the act to perfectly recount what they looked like (if their face was unobstructed).... or even make the list available to civilians to be the eye's of the law.
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Rainier Wolfcastle, 14 Mar 2008 @ 10:13am

My Eyes.
My eyes! zeee goggles!, they do naaathing!
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rick, 14 Mar 2008 @ 11:25am

AI's will be born out of tech like this
I'm sure all of this information will be great for new robots to take us over. I'm sure they'll do a lot better than the current set of leaders. At least they'd understand logic.
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another mike, 19 Mar 2008 @ 4:51pm

target demographic
I think the target demographic is all the forgetful old coots wandering around not remembering where they put stuff. Like my grandmother who can't remember she put her reading glasses in the fridge. But if their memory is that bad, they'll spend three days looking for the goggles so it can show them where they left their teeth.
That's got to be it. There are more oldtimers alive today than anytime in the past, especially in Japan and the US.
Anyway, I actually hope they get this to market before all the customers die of old age.
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RickStar, 11 Dec 2011 @ 6:16am

Giggle searh :)
Oh my it would have been so much better to call it Giggle ..
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