Podo カメラ by Chuntze Cheng is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award 鉄賞 in カメラ・写真機器デザイン Competition Category.

鉄写真機器· 2021

Podo カメラ

by Chuntze Cheng

Client: Podo Labs, Inc.

A' Design Award 鉄賞 Winner in 写真機器 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #118713

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Podo カメラ

Podoは、ハンズフリー撮影のために設計されたコンパクトカメラである。サイズは30mm×30mm×45mm、重量は43グラム。背面フラップに備えたナノ吸着シリコンパッドにより、壁面をはじめとするさまざまな面に貼り付けることができ、取り外して繰り返し使用することも可能である。このフラップはボールジョイントで回転するため、ほぼあらゆる角度にカメラを向けられる。専用モバイルアプリケーションはBluetoothで接続し、ライブプレビューを表示するので、撮影前に一枚ごとの構図を確認して設定できる。500万画素センサーと広角ガラスレンズにより、写真、動画、タイムラプス撮影に対応する。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鉄賞

Podo カメラは、よく設計された創造物に期待される専門的・産業的要件を満たす優れたデザインに授与される、権威ある評価である A' Design Award 鉄賞の受賞作品です。鉄賞の受賞作品は、制作者の高い技量、高度な専門性、専門家としての理解、創造的な能力を示しています。Podo カメラは、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される、実用的で革新的な創造物であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 鉄賞を受賞したデザインは、業界のベストプラクティスを統合し、ノウハウと才能に結びついた有能な技術的特性を備えています。Podo カメラは、その徹底ぶりで尊敬され、世界をより良い場所にするための生活の質の向上をもたらすよう設計されています。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Podo Camera is the world’s first stick & shoot camera that takes hands-free photos to the next level! Stick Podo Camera anywhere using its special nano-adhesive backing and control it with an app.
Dimensions & Packaging: Dimensions: 30 mm x 30 mm x 45 mm
Weight: 43 g
Sensor: 5 MP (2.2 μm pixels)
Video: 720p 30fps
Lens: 90° wide-angle, glass
Memory: 8 GB
8-LED ring
Bluetooth 4.2 LE + Classic
Accelerometer
Rechargeable battery (up to 1.5 hrs. video)
Tags: Camera, Selfie, Travel, Bluetooth, Video, Gadget, Photo, Time-lapse, Accessory, Mobile
Production Technology: Improved design process based on lessons learned from previous product iterations.
Injection molding with
Design Challenge: The ball-join mechanical design was challenging because it needed to allow 360-degree movement for the back flap and incorporate with the overall aesthetics. The form factor of the device was difficult to achieve. We had to minimize the device and keep the aesthetics friendly by applying curvatures on all surfaces while keeping heat dissipation, electronics, and a battery in mind. Material selections of the back flap and light pipe were time consuming because there were many iterations and trials to achieve the desired results. The Bluetooth live preview and image/video transfer speed were quite challenging because there was no off-the-shelf solution available on the marketplace. We had to write our own Bluetooth Host firmware stack in order to achieve easy connectivity and fast transfer speeds.
Research: UX research. To develop a handsfree pocket size camera with an intuitive user interface. Observational trials, survey, focus group studies, and simulations. Cameras, questionnaire, Solidworks, Microsoft Office, TracePro. Travel gurus, influencers, tech writers, target audiences. To define a way to improve the selfie-taking camera experience. We realized that people dislike selfie sticks due to their limitations, and also they are banned in many public locations. We push the selfie taking experience to the next level and open up more creative potential.
Inspiration: While working together on another project we often took pictures with the team. We got tired of someone always getting left out of photos and needing cables to transfer data from our colleague's DSLR. We wanted something much more versatile and easy to use, so we made it!

Podo represents our passion, our team’s grit, and our conviction that technology should be fun and simple.
Project Duration: The project started in June 2015 in San Francisco, USA and finished in January 2017. It was crowdfunded on Kickstarter, sold via online channels, and distributed in Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, and various popup retailers worldwide.
Operation Flow: Step 1: Charge for at least 1 hour.
Step 2: Install the Podo app for Android or iOS.
Step 3: Rotate back flap and remove protective film on sticky pad.
Step 4: Stick securely to a wall and use the app to shoot!
The app provides a live preview stream over Bluetooth so you can set up the shot from any angle. Podo is easy to place in various locations for time-lapse and security purposes.
Patents: Patented, Patent No. WO 2015/038646 A1, Edmond Lee and Jae Hoon Choi, Samuel Pullman, 2015, International Patent.
Trademark (2015) Podo Labs Inc.
Team Members: Chuntze Cheng
Edmond Lee
Jae Hoon Choi
Samuel Pullman
John Fitzpatrick