Phase VI is under way: MEMoPAD leaves the lab
Ten people are now using MEMoPAD in their own days, for up to five weeks. Next come focus groups, clinician interviews, and one last survey for everyone who signed up.
Newsletter Archive
A complete archive of our monthly updates, detailing our research progress, co-design insights, and project milestones.
Phase VI: taking MEMoPAD out of the lab
Phase VI takes it out of the lab. Ten people in Bristol, up to five weeks, in their own days. It is the first honest test of whether co-design actually mitigates the dropout that digital mental health tools are known for.
Phase VI prototype built and our IH 2026 paper published
Two years ago, this newsletter went out to a handful of co-design participants. It now reaches over 600 people. A monthly update to participants quietly became the spine of how this project talks to the world.
Phase VI is go, plus a live demo in Porto
Phase VI is go: hot news from a hot summer! IH 2026 demo presentation and other news
Phase V surveys close and a new book chapter
Phase V surveys close, Phase VI ethics takes shape, a new book chapter on affective computing for Alzheimer’s, and where to find MEMoPAD this June.
Phase V concludes: clinicians, we want to hear from you
Concluding Phase V and preparing Phase VI, the last stage of the research project. Clinicians, we want to hear from you!
Phase V surveys open and HUG×SmartSocks data collection complete
Phase V surveys are online and HUGxSmartSock data collection is over! We are preparing Phase VI while the project gains more traction and visibility.
HUG×SmartSocks study opens and steps towards real-world use
Hands-on study happening now + steps toward real-world MEMoPAD implementation. Two ways to contribute to wearable emotion monitoring research this month!
The working prototype passes its first lab sessions
The first iteration of the working prototype actually worked! Thankfully, no blue screen of death in classic Microsoft style.
Winning the SmartSocks Stress category and a Phase V dry run
Won the Stress category in SmartSocks DISCOVERY Pioneers Competition by Milbotix, ran Phase V simulation with supervisors, shared how I made the MEMoPAD video AI-assisted.
From design to deployment: Phase V protocol finalised
MEMoPAD is transitioning from design to deployment + A 2-minute animated story showing how our technology for mental health works in daily life
Our Nature Machine Intelligence paper is out
Our Nature Machine Intelligence paper just dropped, and it challenges how most people think about multimodal AI: Start with the problem, not the cool tech
Planning Phase V and a new HUG×SmartSocks partnership
As the autumn leaves begin to turn here in Bristol, the MEMoPAD project continues to buzz with activity and exciting new developments! We’re so grateful for your ongoing support and wanted to share what we’ve been working on this September.
Phase V ethics approved, an NHS grant and a BCS HCI paper
Some months are for sowing, while others are for reaping. August was certainly one of the latter for the MEMoPAD project.
Phase IV nearly complete and Phase V ethics ready
Co-design Phase IV almost completed, and ethical application for Phase V ready for submission! New demo trailer and other curiosities.
First demo trailer and the start of Phase IV
MEMoPAD in Action, Co-design Phase IV begins! Watch the first trailer of MEMoPAD demo and tell us what you think of it!
Phase III complete and a new intern joins the team
A summary of the completion of our creative co-design Phase III, an introduction to our new intern Louis, and a look ahead to the prototype evaluation in Phase IV.
Terminology survey and Phase II workshops complete
Details on our co-design terminology survey, the completion of our "Generative" Phase II workshops, and a look ahead to the upcoming Phase III activities.
Phase I insights and the start of Phase II
An overview of our in-depth qualitative analysis from Phase I, the key insights from our expert roundtable, and the official launch of our "Idea Generation" phase (Phase II).
Presenting at HEALTHINF 2025 and preparing Phase II
A summary of our conference presentation at HEALTHINF 2025 and our seminar at the UWE Public Engagement in Research Network, plus our preparations for Phase II of the co-design.
A new PPIE network and Phase I clinician interviews complete
An update on the new Public Engagement in Research Network at UWE, the completion of clinician interviews for Phase I, and a final call for carer participants.
IHT Fellowship and a HEALTHINF 2025 paper accepted
Details on becoming an Innovate Healthier Together (IHT) Fellow, new student involvement, progress on co-design sessions, and our paper acceptance at HEALTHINF 2025.
A new CATE grant and EPS postgraduate membership
Announcing a new grant from UWE Bristol’s CATE fund, a new postgraduate membership with the Experimental Psychology Society (EPS), and ongoing co-design sessions.
Funding progress, publications and exploring wearables
An update on our funding progress, ongoing publication efforts, and our work in exploring different wearable devices for the project.
Recruitment materials revised with your feedback
Featuring our revised recruitment materials based on your feedback, growing community interest, and a shift to 1-to-1 interviews for clinicians.
A funding bid and refined Phase I workshops
A summary of our recent funding bid, the organization of our final Phase I co-design workshops, and improvements to our digital collaboration tools.
First focus group, three conferences and a best poster award
A summary of our recent activities, including our first focus group, key conference presentations, and the best poster award at the MultimodalAI workshop.