Frankencamera is open source, runs on Linux
Marc Levoy, a Stanford professor of computer science and electrical engineering, is the son, grandson, and great-grandson of opticians. Holding the Frankencamera, which is programmable and can be connected to the Internet, is graduate student Andrew Adams.
(Credit: L.A. Cicero/Stanford University)Photo scientists at Stanford University's Computer Graphics Laboratory have conceived of what is probably the world's first open-source camera. Their contraption, dubbed the Frankencamera, consists of a Nokia N95 mobile phone camera module; a circuit board; a couple of lenses from Canon; and Linux for all the open-source goodness.
The current prototype of the Frankencamera is constructed from off-the-shelf parts.
(Credit: Stanford University)The current prototype of the Frankencamera is constructed from off-the-shelf parts, in some cases borrowed from dead cameras. Its creators say it's ugly--thus the name.
Now, you may be wondering what the big deal is about having an open-source operating system on cameras. Well, it means programmers can create algorithms to process images differently or even better than what brands such as Canon and Nikon are currently offering.
An open-source platform will also give savvy users a wide range of customization options. For instance, photojournalists can program their dSLRs to activate certain settings when a particular lens or accessory is attached.
For now, the scientists have tweaked their Frankencamera to snap high dynamic range pictures, but they are trying to make their snapper churn out better-quality videos by using high-resolution pictures. In a year, they hope to distribute the platform at minimal cost to computational photography researchers and courses worldwide. Check out the video for more details.
(Source: Crave Asia)
Oh wait, those all moved towards infinitely swappable combinations. Funny how competition works.
Mass market anything tends to be more rigid and less modular because it's sold as an appliance to people who want simple functionality and not heavy customization. The higher end "enthusiast" market always has more support for aftermarket fiddling.
Camry vs. Mustang.
Glock vs 1911.
Commodity PC with integrated-everything vs. Alienware.
Pocket camera vs. professional SLR.
But will the camera be as cheap?
Nobody will pay for this if the camera will cost as much as a similar quality camera.
It is a half-scale format (2/3"), RGB Bayer progressive scan imager with either Camera Link or GiGeVision ethernet connections. If you have the bigger bucks, there is a 16MP imager as well.
http://www3.elphel.com/products
- by gbraad September 6, 2009 1:55 AM PDT
- Nice idea, but we already have the LeopardBoard (http://leopardboard.org/) from Leopard Imaging. Also completely open source, also based on a TI ARM (TMS320DM355 DaVinci), costs only $99 and has interchangeable CCD's (from VGA, 1.5M to 5M)... and also the community has a close relationship with the BeagleBoard.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(9 Comments)