Researchers at Queen's University's Human Media Lab have developed FlexCam, a novel compound camera platform that explores interactions with color photographic prints using thinfilm flexible color displays. FlexCam augments a thinfilm color Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (FOLED) photographic viewfinder display with an array of lenses at the back.
Their prototype allows for the photograph to act as a camera, exploiting flexibility of the viewfinder as a means to dynamically re-configure images captured by the photograph. FlexCam’s flexible camera array has altered optical characteristics when flexed, allowing users to dynamically expand and contract the camera's field of view (FOV). Integrated bend sensors measure the amount of flexion in the display.
The degree of flexion is used as input to software, which dynamically stitches images from the camera array and adjusts viewfinder size to reflect the virtual camera’s FOV. Their prototype envisions the use of photographs as cameras in one aggregate flexible, thin-film device.
Flexcam was developed by Connor Dickie, Nick Fellion, supervised by Prof. Vertegaal.
