When Instructables member bertus52x11 had his cast removed after breaking his arm, he found that his arm was too weak to handle his DSLR camera. Realizing that those less fortunate might have similar problems with handling heavy equipment, he created a do-it-yourself camera support using PVC pipe that transfers the weight of your camera to your chest.
In addition to allowing people to more easily handle heavy cameras, the chest support also acts as a stabilizer, reducing camera shake in situations where you don’t have a tripod. He writes,
This device can help people with a weak arm or hand, but it can be helpful to people with Parkinson to stabilise the camera. Naturally it can be used for stabilising pocket cameras as well. You can then slim down the design by using smaller (copper) tubing. Once you have chosen for copper, a Steampunk design is never far away. I would like to see that!
If you’re interested in creating such a support for yourself or someone you know, check out the easy-to-follow tutorial on Instructables:
SixthSense is a wearable gesture device being developed by PhD student Pranav Mistry at the MIT Media Lab that allows the wearer to interact with their environment, treating the real world as a computer display. The above video is of the demo that was given at TED that generated international attention. What we found interesting is how the device allows you to photograph with hand gestures (at 6m25s), and the ability to work with your images on any wall.
Perhaps in the near future we’ll be able to edit and send our photographs on a wall immediately after shooting them using a wearable projector.
At CES 2010 next year, photography automation company Ortery will unveil the Photosimile 5000, a device that they claim is the “next generation imaging device for the office.” Essentially it’s like a copier, except for stock/product photography. You can simply walk up to the machine, place what you’d like to photograph inside, adjust a few settings on the parameter, and walk away with a professional looking product photograph. The computer-operated system automatically adjusts lighting to remove shadows, and takes care of handling white balance.
This isn’t exactly news for photographers, but it’s interesting to see the landscape of what’s out there and what’s to come.
If for some reason you’re against carrying extra batteries around for your digital camera, then this might be just the gadget for you. YoGen is a human powered charger that generates power when you pull on the lawnmower-style ripcord.
It will officially be launched at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, but you can already place orders for the $40 device on their website.
The YoGen charger comes in two styles: clear and black. Here’s what the clear charger looks like in action:
In addition to digital cameras, the charger is meant for anything from iPods to cell phones. The power is supposedly comparable to standard AC adapters, which also means it’s primary use isn’t in charging your gadgets back up to full power by hand (since that would take forever), but rather to give your device an extra spurt of power when you need it.
The Yogen website also has a couple videos showing how the thing is used. This one features an absent minded-man who constant talks to himself and fishes for dead/plastic fish. Enjoy!
If for some reason you’re against carrying extra batteries around for your digital camera, then this might be just the gadget for you. YoGen is a human powered charger that generates power when you pull on the lawnmower-style ripcord. 
