Update on June 27, 2014: For those days when you just don’t feel like wearing one around your neck, Autographer is getting a new flexible mount accessory ($50).
This adapter, made from lightweight aluminum, was created based on direct feedback from Autographer users; the mount adapter allows users to firmly connect their camera to a variety of mounts, each useful for capturing different activities.
With two versatile mounting points, Autographer users can connect the camera to: tripods, bicycles and baby strollers (attach the camera to a bike’s handlebars or a stroller’s handle), windows (in your car or home), and bottles (wine, soda, etc.).
Billed as “the world’s first intelligent, wearable camera” that enables users “to ‘see the unseen’”, the Autographer, unveiled on Tuesday, is a camera quite unlike any other.
The new snapper, designed by British stop-motion specialists OMG, incorporates five sensors and operates using Microsoft-designed software. Designed to be worn around the neck, or clipped to clothing, the Autographer intelligently decides when to snap a photo, compiling a collection of up to 2,000 HD pictures through the day. Put simply, it allows the user to just put it on and forget about it.
OMG explains on its website: “Autographer can capture thousands of high resolution photos every day through its custom designed wide-angle lens, while an Autographer stop-frame video lets you see a whole day’s activity in a few minutes.
“With five on-board sensors and GPS capability, Autographer identifies when to take a photo based on subtle changes in light, colour, motion, direction and temperature.”
Whereas some people spend more time looking through the viewfinder of their camera than actually taking part in an event, OMG says the Autographer will allow people to “live the experience [as the camera] spontaneously captures the stories that unfold.”
The camera is OMG’s first product aimed at the consumer market. The Oxford-based company originally developed the device for dementia sufferers to help them recall moments during their day, but following extensive market research found that it would also be popular with “gadget lovers, through vocational and professional users who place photography at the centre of their professional or personal lives, to life-bloggers who aim to capture and document their everyday lives.”
Autographer sells for $399, so it doesn’t come cheap. Still, for those with the funds, it could be a novel way to record a special event like a wedding, day out, or even a vacation. No doubt, in time, we’ll see plenty of day-in-the-life videos posted on the Web, shot with the camera. Wonder if they’ve incorporated a pause button for visits to the bathroom….
(This article was originally published on September 24, 2012)
