Descriptive Camera Transforms Image Data into Text Statement
Matt Richardson is a young inventor who has built a camera that literally does what the old maxim states, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” In this case, the Descriptive Camera produces just a few words instead of an image to define what subject or object was captured. The camera consists of only a shutter release, a USB Webcam, small printer and Ethernet connection.
It’s operated exactly like any digital camera, point it and shoot it, but there is another human element at work. An online writer is able to view the image on the Mechanical Turk API, a device developed by Amazon, and then writes a description. It is then printed as a single sheet, much the same as how a Polaroid camera works, or it can be stored digitally.
Richardson invented the camera in conjunction with New York University’s Telecommunications course. According to Richardson, the concept behind the camera is that the digital photography age has allowed everyone to take an enormous number of images, but too many are not properly described and labeled for long-term reference. He says the Descriptive Camera is what he envisions as a first step toward a day when each photo could be tagged with detailed information, such as the names of the people, places, activities, circumstances, etc.
Photograph © Matt Richardson