the thermal arcade is an instant camera that imbues the act of taking photos with play, challenge, and excitement. the camera was inspired by retro game consoles and photo booths.
we aimed to both produce a tangible, physical object as a result of "taking a photograph," and reinstate the sense of intention and wonder of capturing photographs that many have lost touch with since the commoditization of photography.
the assignment was to create a digital camera given an arduino micro, a web camera module, and free rein.
our camera is used by first pressing the start button to begin the game. the game consists of eight rounds where you must correctly press the buttons on the inside of the handle to match the randomly lit LEDs on top of the camera.
depending on your accuracy, the camera will print out an image captured of you using the internal thermal printer module. the better your score, the more unscrambled your photo will be!
