Made with metal, plastic, and various electronics
This instant camera reimagines the process of taking and printing photos and imbues it with joy, playfulness, and "friction," inspired by the ethos behind the rise of digital cameras and instant film cameras. It sits somewhere between Dance Dance Revolution and the thermal receipt printers you see at stores and restaurants. In action, it looks like:
When the user presses the big white start button, the camera will take a photo of them and initiate a game. The user then grabs onto the two handles in the front and presses the buttons on them in sync with the flashing lights on top of the camera (like a game of Dance Dance Revolution!). At the end, the camera will print out their photo—however, the quality of the photo depends on how well the user performed in the game. Thus, the process, play, and effort involved with generating the photo is encoded in the resulting object, which the user can then tear away and take with them as a memento.
Side view with buttons visible
Front view with the printer cover off, for refilling paper
I made this camera with Teresa Jiang in fall of 2024 for 4.031 [Design of Objects and Interaction], taught by Marcelo Coelho. To manufacture the casing panels, we laser-cut, bent, and powder coated sheet aluminum. For the top and bottom clamping pieces, we 3D-printed and finely sanded black resin parts.
Here are some sample printed photos:
My hand!
Different levels of scrambled-ness
Many photos of the same scene
The scene in question
We went through many prototypes, trying out different materials, form factors, and modes of interaction. Here is some documentation from that process:
CAD Screenshot
Testing press fits and tolerances
Electronics (with the cover off)
Using a hydraulic press to shape the triangular handles
