Your webcam, if you have one, probably looks like a webcam. There’s a flat, shiny sensor and it only sees you when it’s on. Right? Not so the Eyecam, a project involving a webcam that looks and reacts like a living chunk of human head perched on top of your computer monitor.
The effect is… intriguing… and absolutely terrifying at the same time. We’re not sure about you but having a roving eye constantly following you around is something that only works in turn-based fantasy RPGs, or Dragon’s Dogma. It’s not for day-to-day, is what we’re saying. And yet… this exists.
Eyecam in action
The Eyecam isn’t actually going to go into production — even though someone will definitely want one. It’s a project designed to remind us that there are sensors everywhere watching us do… all manner of things. The only reason we don’t react to them is because we’re not used to thinking of sensors as… sensors. Unless we’re standing in front of a camera or smartphone, that is.
The Eyecam also explores the idea of sensors that are a little more human. If your computer-mounted webcam actually behaved like this, you’d behave differently in front of it. But this particular camera can glance around like a human being, which gives it the ability to react to people in a room a little differently. Imagine it homing in on whoever is talking, dynamically shifting the point of view during a web conference between different speakers. There’s potential here. Even if it’s horrifying.
So horrifying, in fact, that we kinda want one. If that’s also you, then you might get your wish. The plans for it are available on GitHub, and you can find out more about the Eyecam on creator Marc Teyssier’s website. Just what we like — open source body horror.