Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
One of the main symptoms of COVID-19 is low levels of oxygen in a person’s blood, even when they feel fine. So when the pandemic started spreading, doctors would always measure your blood oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter: a special clip attached to your finger or ear.
But soon, you will be able to do it at home with the same accuracy. All you’ll need is the device you use for taking selfies or mindlessly scrolling through Instagram in bed. That’s right – your phone.
Other than fishing for compliments, the selfie camera on your phone can find plenty more purposes. With Binah.ai’s latest app, measuring blood pressure with your phone camera could soon become one of them. This company has announced the app that does it just by observing you through your smartphone or laptop camera. However, there are some obstacles to overcome before the official launch.
Apple has warned iPhone users not to attach their phones to motorcycles or scooters if they value the camera function. High amplitude vibrations at particular frequencies can degrade the phone’s camera systems over time.
Apple released a long and very specific support document on Friday called “Exposure to vibrations, like those generated by high-powered motorcycle engines, might impact iPhone cameras.” The high-frequency vibrations caused by these vehicles can seriously mess up the functioning of the built-in camera system, gradually degrading the phone’s optical image stabilization, or OIS, and closed-loop autofocus systems.
Eliminating the notch (or the little peephole) has been the goal of smartphone companies ever since they became a thing. There’s nothing better than a nice big unhindered display that fills your device. And while there have been popup cameras and flip-up cameras, under-screen camera technology looks like it’s going to be the way.
OPPO, Xiaomi and others have shown off prototypes in the past and while they’ve been impressive proof of concepts to demonstrate the principle, they haven’t really given the results that other front cameras have. That seems to have changed now, though, as OPPO has unveiled its next-generation under-screen camera smartphone prototype.
There’s an unlimited number of things you can make from Lego. So far, we’ve seen working cameras, lenses, and camera sliders, and you can even build a microscope. That’s exactly what a group of researchers in Germany did. They turned an iPhone 5 camera module and some Lego bricks into an affordable microscope and ended up with some impressive results.
At this week’s Google I/O, Android VP Sameer Samat announced some major changes in the camera app. Apparently, Google is working to make its Android camera more versatile, more inclusive, and more flattering to darker skin tones and different hair types.
Phone cameras are getting more complex and more advanced with practically every new phone. But are the manufacturers focusing on the features people actually want? BlinkAI conducted a survey to find out what users want in their next phone and its camera, and it appears that better nighttime capabilities are high among the priority list.
OPPO has announced its new Find X3 Pro smartphone, and it comes with a pair of primary cameras with each featuring 50-megapixel Sony IMX 766 sensors covering both the wide and ultra-wide fields of view for “billion colour photos and videos”. The camera module also features a 60x microlens that lets you capture super close up detail.
Weighing in at 193g, the new flagship phone is IP68 rated, too, meaning it can withstand dist, dirt and stand and submersion in water up to depths of up to 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes. Great for shooting in the rain or even in the pool! It also has a 120Hz QHD+ HDR10+ screen capable of displaying all those colours the cameras see, too.
Google has announced that you’ll soon be able to use Pixel cameras for more than photos and video. If you’re into fitness, Pixel phones will soon allow you to measure your heart and respiratory rate using nothing but the phone’s cameras.
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