Chuntze Cheng · CLIENT: Podo Labs, Inc.
Podo is a compact camera designed for hands-free photography. Podo measures 30 mm by 30 mm by 45 mm and weighs 43 grams. A nano-adhesive silicone pad on the back flap allows the camera to be attached to walls and other surfaces and removed for repeated use. The flap turns on a ball joint, so the camera can be aimed at almost any angle. A mobile application connects over Bluetooth and provides a live preview, so each shot can be set up before recording. The 5 megapixel sensor and wide-angle glass lens support photos, video and time-lapse sequences.
Press Kit
- 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.
- 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. - 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. - Image Credits
- Podo Labs Inc. All rights reserved.
- Patents
- Patented, Patent No. WO 2015/038646 A1, Edmond Lee and Jae Hoon Choi, Samuel Pullman, 2015, International Patent.
Trademark (2015) Podo Labs Inc.
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