PY-ROM: Burn Your Memory Away
Burn Your Memory Away:
One-time Use Video Capture and Storage Device to Encourage Memory Appreciation
Team ChiaoChiuChiChung
Pei-Yu (Peggy) Chi
Xiao Xiao
Keywon Chung
Carnaven Chiu
Abstract
Nowadays, easy access to technology enables many of us to obsessively document lives. Much of the captured digital content is often disregarded and forgotten on storage devices, with no concerns of cost or decay. Can we design technology that helps people better appreciate captured memories? What would people do if they only had one more chance to relive past memories? We present a prototype design, PY-ROM, a matchstick-like video recording and storage device that burns itself away after being used. This encourages designers to consider lifecycles and human-computer relationships by integrating physical properties into augmenting everyday objects.
/
PY-ROM Design
We identify five suitable attributes of matchsticks for our design to bring the concept of “less is more” to media capture:
- Natural and intuitive interaction
- Connection with tradition
- One-time use
- Suitable burn time
- Portability
Following illustrations show the PY-ROM matchstick design:
/
Hypothesis
Can we build a continuum of design approaches to encourage memory appreciation further and further — from 1 to 4?
- More is more
- Appreciation: Low. Recorded content and life memory not appreciated
- Less is more (one-time availability medium)
- Appreciation: Medium. Recorded content is more appreciated because of one-time playability.
- Object doesn’t have to be a match, could be a candle, kleenex, a balloon, anything that is disposable
- One-time availability medium + ritualistic recording experience
- Appreciation: High. Recording experience makes the memory more meaningful
- Now only ritualistic objects like candle, match qualify
- One-time availability + ritualistic recording + burn original object
- Appreciation: Very high. Extreme approach, losing the original object forever makes the content the most important, something I want to promise to remember.
- Ritualistic objects that has the ability to destroy originals qualify: Our choice of matchstick covers all of these.
/
Video
/
alt.chi 2009 submission