This Camera Sends You on a Side Quest Every Time You Turn It On
A designer has built a fun camera that gets people outside and exploring the world around them.
Paul Lagier explains that every time the QuestCam is turned on, it gives out random quests like “find something tiny” or “photograph a hidden face”.
Lagier built the QuestCam out of a “few electronic components,” including a small controller board with a camera, a battery, a small display, a button, and a simple power switch.
As seen in the YouTube video above, Lagier then sets about assembling the different parts and writes the necessary code. He designs his own casing, which he 3D prints, and then stuffs all the wiring and parts into the case.
As soon as the user hits the power button, the quest immediately appears on the display. Hackster explains that the shutter button performs most functions. Press it once to release the shutter so it can confirm the quest. Double-clicking it activates a 10-second timer so users can quickly move to the front of the camera and get a photo of themselves. Holding the button down for a few seconds enables Wi-Fi pairing mode. Once connected, users can open a web page that shows all completed quests. Users can also add their own quests on the web interface.
The camera itself, Lagier admits, isn’t great — just three megapixels. But the camera is really about unlocking random missions to complete.
“After using it for a while, I noticed something funny when you walk around with this camera, your brain switches into quest mode and suddenly you look at everything around you thinking, ‘does this count’ and that’s exactly what I wanted this QuestCam to do,” Lagier says.
“The whole thing turns into a real-life scavenger hunt,” adds Lagier.
Another way of getting people exploring the real world is Pokémon Go by Niantic, but it was reported this week that spin-off company Niantic Spatial is using all the visual data gathered by players to build a massive geospatial model that can power robots and AI.
You can build the QuestCam yourself by visiting Lagier’s Ko-Fi page, where he’s provided all the necessary instructions.
Image credits: Paul Lagier
