MeMic – User-Only Speech Recording Wearable
A wearable that records audio only when the wearer speaks. A hardware-based voice activity detector controls recording, while a visible light lets people nearby know when the microphone is active.
MeMic explores how to support memory and cognitive augmentation while reducing the privacy concerns of continuous audio recording. We tested the device with 12 participants and compared recording approaches in an online study with 168 people. Participants reported fewer privacy concerns with the user-only recording approach, and preferred a pendant over the other proposed form factors.
Research with Wazeer Deen Zulfikar and Pattie Maes at the MIT Media Lab. Presented at CHI 2024.
Image: Cayden Pierce and Wazeer Zulfikar, MIT Media Lab · CC BY 4.0.