Project Story: Memento

Inspiration

While numerous digital tools exist for monitoring steps and physical activity, very few applications focus on tracking memory and cognitive performance. Every day, small, meaningful moments slip away—conversations, laughter, even the quiet moments of reflection. We were inspired by the realization that memories, the very essence of who we are, are too often forgotten. Our personal experiences, as well as the struggles faced by people with memory impairments like dementia or Alzheimer’s, drove us to create an app that automatically captures and preserves life’s everyday beauty. Research has shown that Reminiscence therapy, or recalling memories, is a great source that can improve their overall well-being and reduce unwanted behaviors. Memento is our answer to ensuring that every gesture, every conversation, and every laugh remains a part of your personal legacy and persuades people to recall and relive them.

What It Does

Captures Daily Interactions: allows users to record their daily interactions and memories.
Interactive Playback: Lets you relive your day with an interactive timeline that highlights the most touching moments.
Assists Memory Care: Acts as a vital tool for those with memory impairments by preserving moments that are often forgotten.
Active recall function: Prompts the user to recall their past memories and answer questions through their voice. We use Gemini to analyze the user's response and determine the confidence scores and how accurately the user was with recalling the memory. This feature is valuable in tracking the time frames and people you remember, which is a vital part for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

How We Built It

Frontend:
We built the user interface using Next.js, ensuring a responsive design with Tailwind CSS.
Backend:
We used Flask and Postgres for the backend
AI & Speech Recognition:
Integrated advanced speech-to-text technology and natural language processing (NLP) models to convert conversations into digital memories with Gemini.

Challenges We Ran Into

Accurate Transcription & Summarization:
Training the AI to understand and accurately transcribe everyday conversation, with all its nuances, proved challenging.
User Interface Design:
Crafting an intuitive UI that serves both tech-savvy users and those with cognitive impairments demanded a thoughtful, iterative design process.
Tracking progress:
Analyzing audio files to detect speech confidence and accuracy.

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

Innovative Use of AI:
Our app effectively transforms daily conversations into emotionally rich narratives.
Impact on Memory Care:
We’ve designed a tool that not only captures memories but also provides invaluable support to those with memory impairments such as dementia.

What We Learned

Bridging Technology and Humanity:
Advanced technologies like AI can be harnessed not just for efficiency but to foster deeper human connections and preserve our most cherished moments.
Resilience and Adaptability:
Overcoming technical hurdles, from transcription accuracy to performance bottlenecks, reinforced our teamwork and determination.

What's Next for Memento

Enhanced Personalization:
We plan to integrate more refined mood and sentiment analysis to tailor the memory narratives even more personally.
Community & Caregiver Tools:
We envision features that allow family members and caregivers to interact with, share, and contribute to the memory timelines, fostering a sense of community and shared legacy.
AI-Driven Insights:
Exploring advanced analytics to help users discover patterns in their daily interactions and overall well-being.