We’ve seen photographers training AI to take memorable photos. Prosthetic Photographer is a project which goes the other way around: it uses AI to train photographers, with an interesting twist. Other than AI, this gizmo uses electric shocks to make a person take good photos.
The Prosthetic Photographer is a project by Peter Buczkowski, and it makes you take good photos involuntarily. As Buczkowski writes, this gadget should help beginner photographers “learn to decide better what pictures are worth taking and new methods how to get them.”
How does it work? You can attach the Prosthetic Photographer to any DSLR or mirrorless camera. It contains an algorithm trained to distinguish between high and low-quality photos. As you point it to the scene, it analyzes it all the time. When the AI recognizes a “good photo,” a small electric shock is sent to the user’s hand, making them press a button involuntarily. The button is connected to the shutter, so when you press it, you’ll take the photo.
Buczkowski explains that two electrodes on the handle transport the electrical impulse to the user’s hand. For this to work, they need to be in contact with the skin all the time. Two knobs on the back let you adjust the intensity of the impulse. You should make it strong enough to make your finger react to it and press the button.
The Prosthetic Photographer is a part of Buczkowski’s master thesis titled “Experiments on Human Computer Interaction through electrical body part stimulation.” I don’t know how applicable it would be in real life though, considering that AI excludes many factors involved in making a photo. I think it’s still questionable how reliable artificial intelligence is in judging the artistic quality of the photos.
On the other hand, perhaps this could be used in training absolute beginners in some ways. For example, it can help you get a properly exposed photo or a photo composed by the Rule of Thirds (or any other rule). If you don’t mind getting zapped, though.
Either way, I think this is an interesting idea. And it’s certainly an awesome master thesis to work on.
