The British maker OMG Plc will soon release a groundbreaking camera that decides itself when to take a shot. The device, called the Autographer, uses five in built sensors and software developed by Microsoft Corp to choose the best moment to capture an image without any intervention from the user.
The high-resolution pictures, which can number 2,000 in a day, can then be combined to create a visual record of an event like a party, a music festival or a typical day in the life of the owner.
The Autographer, which can be worn around the neck, clipped to clothing or placed in a particular vantage point, is the first consumer device from OMG, whose stop motion technology is used in fields ranging from computer game development to surveying roads.
The company originally developed a version of the Autographer as a memory aid for people with dementia, but said it decided to launch it to the broader market after finding users and their families were also using the devices to record and remember special occasions.
The camera can be worn around the neck or attached to one’s clothing, and effectively acts as a stop-motion/time-lapse camera when brought along for everyday activities. There are two buttons on the side for controlling the OLED screen and for manually snapping a photo. The screen has indicators and settings for charge level, memory capacity, airplane mode, sensor sensitivity, and phone pairing.
On the front is a 136-degree wide-angle lens that’s designed to mimic the human eye’s field of view, capturing your life as you see it.
Once your life is stored in pixels, you can use the Autographer’s custom software and app to manage and work with them. A special smartphone app connects to the device via Bluetooth for previewing, browsing, and sharing your photos. Special desktop software lets you browse through your memories — much like the Pensieve in Harry Potter — and do fun things with them (e.g. create animated GIFs or stop-motion videos).
The Autographer hit stores in the UK in November for £399, or around $650. It may be released in the US and in Japan shortly afterward.