Sony's ODO Twirl N' Take: a wind-up camera concept

Hot on the green, urban heels of Sony's ODO line-up comes their latest eco product, the Twirl N' Take concept camera. Give that wheel a spin for about 15 seconds and the device has enough juice to power its way through a single photograph. The camera is installed in the handle. To see your snaps, you have to connect the cam to a computer since the camera itself lacks a display. How analog of you Sony.

[Via Impress]

[Jonathan @ Dec 13th 2007 8:39AM]

Glad to see it can also be used to stir liquids. (bottom-right pic?)

I also need a new pizza cutter.

[mclassplanet @ Dec 13th 2007 9:21AM]

That also answers the question: "Will it blend?"

[superfresh @ Dec 13th 2007 8:40AM]

Wow...

First the Rolly and now this.

It's sad to see what has become of my once go-to tech company.

[AdamY @ Dec 13th 2007 8:50AM]

That is without a doubt the most ballinest toilet brush I've ever seen son!

[mushrooshi @ Dec 13th 2007 8:52AM]

I first thought it was an OLPC add-on.

Then I saw "Wind Up Camera Concept".

Unfortunatly, it ended when I heard "Sony"

[Dahk @ Dec 13th 2007 3:06PM]

Sooooo since the headline starts WITH Sony, I assume you didn't read any of the headline? =P. I'm just kiddin' ya.

[Technex @ Dec 13th 2007 8:57AM]

The point is?

[Bobs @ Dec 13th 2007 9:03AM]

Did you even read the article? the point is that you dont need batteries because you can wind it up like a small generator.

[Technex @ Dec 13th 2007 9:05AM]

Yes I read the article, as always... I really don't see a point in this... No screen, no view finder.

This is going back in time...

[Ryan Trevisol @ Dec 13th 2007 9:41AM]

I'm so eco-friendly, I'm going to put away my cell phone and use this wind-up camera to take a sh**tier picture with this (undboutably) $199 wind-up camera. This seems so practical for everyday use . . .

"Did the picture come out good?"

"I don't know, let's go home and see! Come on, Rolly! Follow us home, and play us some AC-DC!"

[Temple @ Dec 13th 2007 10:14AM]

It's a concept, a design-study, ideas, experimenting with technology, etc

exactly what the hell is wrong with some of you people. Companies can't look at new ways of doing things?

[Technex @ Dec 13th 2007 10:33AM]

Temple, I love concepts and ideas, but unfortunately not crappy ones like this.

[Temple @ Dec 13th 2007 10:49AM]

>>Temple, I love concepts and ideas, but unfortunately not crappy ones like this.

You need to test ideas and willing to experiment before you truly develop great ones. Sometimes you need to think outside the box.

Cameras like this could be good for third-world countries where the OLPC is being sold, the lack of screen and battery would also mean it costs almost nothing to make, being wind-up would benefit people without proper electrical infrastructure. All ideas don't have to be directly relevant to you to make it a good or "crappy" idea.

But its still a concept, its not for sale, you don't have to like; and nobody cares.

[Wwhat @ Dec 13th 2007 11:25AM]

Concept being finding new ways to drain money.

[Monty @ Dec 14th 2007 3:58PM]

How many times were you taking a picture and run out of battery? That's the point of this camera.

How many times do people complain about global warming but don't do anything about it? That's the point of this camera.

How many times what looked great on the mini-screen of your camera was really blurry in your computer? That's the same with this camera :P

You are talking nonsense, 10 years ago nobody had a digital camera and taking pictures was like "'Did the picture come out good?' 'I don't know, let's go home and see!'" or even worse (taking them to the photo store, waiting for a day...) and nobody said that cameras where a bad idea.

A LCD screen (even the smallest ones) consumes a lot of energy, adding it to the camera would be a waste of power and instead of 15 seconds you would need 2 minutes to charge the battery. Maybe in a future, screens will consume less energy or they'll find better ways to charge batteries... and then the next version of this camera would be a revolution.

But no... let's criticize Sony for investing their money (not ours) in a project that could be really interesting...

[tastybytes @ Dec 13th 2007 9:03AM]

wouldnt it be better to put it into a party noise maker design.. if youre out about town, i doubt you are going to run this along the ground to charge it

[BobTurbo @ Dec 13th 2007 9:03AM]

What about the CO2 costs of the energy that the human expends? The human requires food which is often created through a pollution-intensive process.

[Tommy @ Dec 13th 2007 9:29AM]

Fortunately, none of the Eco-Junkies have suggested offing humans to cut down on their carbon footprint...

This is clearly a product that only the most finatical enthusists would enjoy. I'd bet the lack of screen and low power goal also means the resolution is low and the storage space is probably a minimum.

Nice "concept" of a camera that doesn't need batteries, but the lack of features equates to a useless product.

[Speddy @ Dec 13th 2007 9:55AM]

@Tommy: So you are suggesting that suicide is green. Why not go as far to say that we should make people into food or even, gasp, batteries (Matrix)?

Hey, go even further and say we get credits for every carbon-abusing politician, since they consume more O2 and expel 2x CO emissions than every auto made since 1977!

[Temple @ Dec 13th 2007 10:19AM]

Humans, and all living things, are carbon neutral. We only expend as much carbon that they take in. We don't eat oil or coal after all.

[iptydafu @ Dec 13th 2007 10:09AM]

Yeah, it's great that you can roll it on stuff, but how about just twirling it on your finger?

[lonecow12 @ Dec 13th 2007 10:12AM]

First thing I thought of when I saw this, "Is this a new XBOX accessory" I think it's funny Sony chose Microsoft colors.

[PARKER @ Dec 13th 2007 10:36AM]

WHAT A SHAMEFUL WASTE OF "GOOD PLASTIC".

'...WAY TO GO, SONY!!!"

[dosguy @ Dec 13th 2007 12:25PM]

If you dip it into soapy water you could probably blow bubbles with it.

Seriously, what is the point of a camera that takes 15 seconds of physical work to crank up, and only takes one picture that you then have to download to a computer? This might be a candidate for a new TV show called "Technology Gone Bad."

[tiuk @ Dec 13th 2007 1:09PM]

Would be a neat little toy if it cost, like, $20.

[Charadis @ Dec 13th 2007 1:12PM]

i think it's a brilliant concept. it could use a revamp on the design concept, but it could definitely be useful when no power source is around to charge up batteries, or just to be more environmentally friendly

imagine the loop in a silver chrome, the handle a shiny or matte black, or the whole thing black and silver accent. it has potential that's for sure. add that in the same lines of hybrid cars et al, and we have a start to a greener future led by known market leaders :)

[bt @ Dec 14th 2007 1:40AM]

finally a device that can pleasure both males and females... and it's by sony!

[Carl Kopnick @ Dec 20th 2007 1:43PM]

Of course, this is a new direction on one of the most growing industries this days. The electronics and it's consumption of energy, even tiny things like a wirst watch.
Twirl technology does not pollute our ecosystem, so why not explore and develop this technology with hundreds of years?
Some comments that i read just tryed to compare the last digital camera on the market with this new idea that DON'T NEED BATTERIES (!!!!)
I have a challenge and be honest... What do you people do with dead batteries???
Do you really throw it in the appropriate recycle bin??
Ah... i'm not a Sony associate...

[marc @ Dec 21st 2007 1:37PM]

God the things college boys will do with this... *shudders*