IBM researchers have unveiled new software technology from its research labs that uses sounds, images and text recorded on simple mobile devices to aid people in recalling important information in their lives, including names, conversations, faces, appointments and other key information.

The software is named Pensieve and uses associative recall to make connections among pieces of related data that are acquired by an individual. The new technology works to provide the context in which the data was collected, then provides a connection for the data and allows individuals to use the combined knowledge to bring the information up as it is needed.

According to Dr. Yaakov Navon, the lead researcher and image processing expert from IBM’s research lab in Haifa, Israel, "This is like having a personal assistant for your memory. Our daily routines are overflowing with situations where we gain new information through meetings, advertisements, conferences, events, surfing the web, or even window shopping. Instead of going home and using a general web search to find that information, Pensieve helps the brain recall those everyday things you might normally forget."

While current mobile devices record data in real time, IBM's Pensieve blends techniques from image processing, GPS information, smart clustering, optical character recognition, speech recognition, and information retrieval to index and tag the information.

Researchers are pairing advanced mobile technologies with memory cues to develop a system that can analyze acquired data, create links to related experiences, and then use that information to populate a person's information management applications. It records the information in electronic address books and calendars, and the technology enables memory recall triggered by time, location or the when the related information is introduced.

People often encounter situations where they have been introduced to someone but you can't quite recall how they know them. By simply typing the person's name into Pensieve, they will be able to recall when and where they met them and any related information that was collected about meeting them. The software will also allow them to browse forward or backward in time to determine what happened before and/or after they met the person.

Another use of this technology is in reconstructing and sharing an experience or memory. If enough media-rich data was collected about a particular event, it can be used to build a more complex visual associative representation.

According to Eran Belinsky, research team leader and collaboration specialist, “This is where the real power of collaboration kicks in. You can recall the name of the person you met right before you entered a meeting by traversing a timeline of your experiences, or share a business trip with colleagues by creating a mash-up that shows a map with an animation of your trail and the pictures you took in every location."

This technology could prove to be invaluable in helping people with short-term memory loss and early Alzheimer’s or those recovering from brain injuries to trigger memory through experience and help reconstruct memories. It sounds incredibly promising.

Belinsky said he can't put a time frame on when the software might be ready but did say that "hundreds" of IBM employees are testing it now. "In the story of Harry Potter, the wizards can put their thoughts in the [Pensieve] and it will hold on to the memories. Later, the thoughts can be [retrieved] and shown to other people.

We are trying, in a sense, to make magic a reality. Of course, we don't have magic, so we're trying to use today's magic wand, which is the mobile phone equipped with a digital camera and GPS. People will capture their memories or experience cues in the form of a picture. When they later see the picture, it will help them recollect the experience."