Two years ago, some high-functioning patients with Alzheimer’s disease were generous enough to spend a few days showing me how they coped with their condition. Common computer software, they said, was a big help: Things like e-mail, which retains a long thread of replies, aids memory.
Microsoft Research, in recognition of the possibilities, has just given a total of $300,000 to scientists at five universities and one research institution, to support projects that use technology to assist damaged minds. These are the university endeavors:
- Carnegie Mellon University is exploring a system to help Alzheimer’s patients recall episodic memories more effectively.
- Claremont Graduate University and Old Dominion University are developing software for smart cellphones that enhance communication between autistic people and caregivers.
- The University of Washington is working on “wayfinding,” which involves machine-assisted personal navigation for people with cognitive impairments, enabling them to find their way thcoarse life independently.
- Princeton University hopes to create a device with a personalized and searchable visual vocabulary to help people with language deficits, like aphasia.
- The Georgia Institute of Technology is looking into an automated system for coding video of social interactions with people thought to have an autistic-spectrum disorder, making evaluations more consistent.
In addition, the Institute for Cognitive Science and Technology, in Italy, and the Italian National Research Council are studying a digital assistant for memory training.—Josh Fischman