[Roo] was tasked with finding a better way to take corporate employee photos. The standard method was for a human resources employee to use a point and shoot camera to take a photo of the new recruits. The problem with this method is many people feel awkward trying to force a smile in front of other people. Plus, if the photo turns out poorly many people won’t ask to have it retaken so as not to feel vain or inconvenience the photographer. [Roo’s] Raspberry Pi powered photo booth solves this problem in a novel way.
The new system has the employee use their own mobile phone to connect to a website running on the Pi. When the employee tells the Pi to snap a photo, the system uses the Raspberry Pi camera module to capture an image. [Roo] actually 3D printed a custom adapter allowing him to replace the standard camera lens if desired. The photo can be displayed on an LCD screen so the user can re-take the photo if they wish.
The system is built into a custom case made from both 3D printed and laser cut parts. The front plate is a frosted white color. [Roo] placed bright white lights behind the front panel in order to act as a flash. The frosted plastic diffuses the light just enough to provide a soft white light for each photo taken. Once the photo is selected, it can then be uploaded to the company database for use with emails, badges, or whatever else.
[Roo] also mentions that the system can easily be changed to send photos via Twitter or other web applications. With that in mind, this system could be a great addition to any hackerspace or event. The code for an older version of the project can be found on the project’s github page.
I’d love to see some information on how the user gets to the device’s control website. I don’t see a URL or any instructions printed on the device, so does it make an AP with a captive portal? Does it send a Physical Web beaconURL?
What software to people generally use when they want to make it possible for random people near a RaspPI to interact with it via their cellphones?
A while ago I made a platform for interacting with an Ardunio Yun from a cell phone, but it was surprisingly hard and I’d love to see a more mature solution!
Hey Josh, there’s a short URL on the in-built screen which is accessible externally. I have also since stuck a NFC sticker on it for those that can. I think at the moment that’s one of the best ways to do it in terms of usability. We are seeing more and more cameras with built in wifi AP and they often combine with NFC to send out the wifi credentials, though I don’t know if this requires a host app on the mobile device. Wifi WPS could be an option to explore? I’m also interested in mobile device as a democratic remote control so drop me an email if you want to shoot some ideas around!
Thanks
Roo
I’d just let them submit their own photos. No cats, dogs, hoo has, weiners, or nipples allowed. Otherwise you could just use the ‘cheese’ function and have everyone look like unnerved psychos, which I find more entertaining.
I feel like overall the project is a bit of overthink/kill, but kudos to Roo for getting it built and working and such.
Thanks for the comment! We wanted user’s photos to have a running consistency with the same lighting/backdrop so needed a dedicated setup but there was also the want to explore interaction with a physical device via a smartphone which was definitely a novel addition and not the only way to do it :)
Thanks again
Roo
Hi,
This looks great :-)
i was looking into make a photo booth for my sisters wedding. which pi did you use and how hard is it to make lol (as im a pi noob) :-)
Thanks