IdeaFeed | Big Think: MIT engineer Eyal Toledano has built a software system, CoSync, that links smartphones together via Bluetooth or wi-fi, allowing their users to share cameras, microphones, and other phone features. In a demonstration, six phones were connected to a master phone, which instructed each phone's camera when to take a picture. The resulting photos created by this network of cameras "evenly [lit] subjects and [avoided] washed out, overexposed images." Toledano says that camera flashes controlled in this way could also provide unique lighting, among other photo effects.
13 comments:
I think this is a really interesting concept, especially given the events in Boston of two weeks ago. Essentially, the way they pieced together information in that case was the same as this article says, but likely with less ease (as it was after the fact....). Having a tool to implement it in future disaster situations would be awesome! Being able to piece together an image to get the clearest picture sounds like a very complex computational process, so I'd be worried that hosting it on smartphones would be insanely data heavy and slow. But if they're figuring it out, then they must have overcome that!
This seems like a much more advanced feature and idea that I recognize from Google Maps. Google maps has street view, but also utilizes photos from users in different locations to create a panoramic view of the specific area. While it's not exactly the same, it is combining multiple users' technology to create a more complete image.
The software behind putting the pictures together is definitely the most interesting part of this. Its not really anything new to be hooking up a bunch of phones, computers, gadgets to accomplish tasks more efficiently all it takes is for someone smart enough to have the time and incentive to write the software. This is pretty cool because the master phone has to be keeping track of all the phones at once and know how to instruct them. We are finally getting closer to some robot overlords!
I continue to be impressed by what technology has to offer these days. If the people in the back of a concert can see what the people at the front of the concert are seeing, it sounds like a great feature. However then, does that mean that the value of the back seats and front seats equalizes a little bit? Also, I might be a little reluctant to try it, because it sounds like this something that someone could use to access the information in other people's phones. While using this in a play is an idea, I still don't like the idea of technology having such active use in a live performance. It seems like this would take away from the experience.
I agree that the technology is cool, Isaac, but we haven't seen these applications coming from the combination of user devices into one master image or recording, though. Brian's suggestion that this would be really useful in the wake of the Boston marathon (where a bunch of people were filming) has some strength to it, as well as the discussion in the article about creating a composite image of a concert through the use of footage from crowd members. That type of thing could easily be made use of as either an auxiliary experience for the patrons already at the concert, or it could allow them to rewatch the concert from home in an augmented fashion. Who knows, a digital concert recording may be able to be made by stitching together footage from the concertgoers who attended it!
That's a really cool piece of technology, despite it encouraging the increased use of cell phones in theatrical settings. Cell phones have been getting cameras and other recording devises that surpass more costly devices that do only that one function, almost to the point where it seems reasonable to get a smartphone to record something instead of a cheap camera. This technology could make recording of theatre easier, which is both good and bad.
I think it's really interesting that this article looks at this technology, describes how awesome it would be in the setting of a live concert, and only in the last line briefly mentions the applications to assist aid workers in disaster zones. I feel like that is a little more important than concerts.
On the line of concerts though, I recently saw an article about a band that posted signs asking concert-goers to please put their phones away while they were onstage. If bands are trying to get their audience to put their phones away, this technology has the potential to completely combat that. While it's a cool idea, I'm not sure concerts are the right venue for it. I would be really interested to see what this technology could do for disaster relief and for people living and working in war zones. I'm sure the government is keeping a close eye on this technology.
This is a really cool idea. People have played with using cell phones in interactive theatre/art pieces before, but I have never heard of something like this. The main difference seems to be that the system can control the cell phones instead of the cell phone users controlling the cell phones and sending data to the system. I think there are many really cool show concepts that use this technology. I hope that this technology becomes easy to use and open scores so that people can use it and adapt it.
This is both cool and scary. Like pretty much everyone else who commented, I agree that this is a great development, and could be applied in many very useful ways. It could indeed be great in disaster and war zones; more and more, we are seeing technology allow for better access to humanitarian aid and social change(see: Arab Spring).
It is a bit scary though to think about the potentially malevolent uses of this technology. After all, if someone creates a software that allows to control mobile devices like this WITH THE USER'S CONSENT, you can be sure that soon enough someone will hack it and take advantage of that. And I don't really like the idea of someone getting into my phone via some cool technology I downloaded. But maybe it's not a risk. Maybe I'm just being alarmist.
In the meantime, I still think it's a cool technology.
I agree with Jess. The disaster situations sound much more important than a concert. Anyway, I think it is a great way to make the world smaller. I think it embraces collaboration, and I'm curious as to how many smartphones can be linked together via CoSync. It's also kind of scary how all of our smartphones with our personal information can be controlled by one master phone. I also think this system can go farther than photography and recording. I think it would be interesting if the concert itself is created by the phones. The master phone could act as a conductor, while each individual phone is a musician. Even in theatre, the master phone acts like a stage manager calling cues during a show. I think there will be more to come with this system.
I agree with Jess, some performers prefer their audiences not to take videos or photos of their performances. However it has become the trend to do so, especially with youtube, Instagram, twitter and Facebook. I think that this king of technology will eventually be used incorrectly.
It has always been a passion of mine to view things from as many different views as possible. Even more exciting is that technology is getting to the point that we can achieve that. Google glass and systems like the one in the article are spearheading this movement and quite masterfully too. In the end, we are advancing to a cyberworld in which we are all connected to the point where we can see what the other is seeing simultaneously. We are becoming a semi-hive mentality.
I'm with Camille - what if the government starts using this to secretly monitor everything we do? Or what if some terrorist organization what able to shut down all cellular communication in a certain area. This technology seems cool but with every new thing we develop we have to be cautious of how its used and what the implications of it are. But then it could also be used for serious good. In a situation like the boston bombing, all pics taken could be used to identify suspects and such things like that. It's an interesting debate.a
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