Extending the lifelog to non-human subjects
Joshua Robin McVeigh-Schultz, J. S. Stein, Jeff Watson, Scott S. Fisher · 2012
In this paper, we describe an approach to lifelogging that positions everyday objects, vehicles, and built environments as worthy of their own lifelog systems. We use this approach to anchor what we call ambient storytelling, and we argue that this methodology opens up new opportunities to design for rich and enduring relationships between humans and non-humans. We will explore this research approach through a series of examples, including: (1) a building that learns about its occupants and reveals its lifelog through playful solicitation and reciprocation, (2) story-objects that reveal backstory to their users, and (3) an automotive-sensor system and lifelog platform that facilitates context-specific playful interaction between a driver and their car. In this last example, we were interested in how a vehicle-based lifelog could augment drivers' existing propensities to project character onto their cars. In each of these examples, we reposition the concept of the lifelog to consider the "lives" of objects and the relationship between humans and non-humans as a worthwhile area of research.