A DIY digital camera which has been designed to teach children about how the tech it uses works, has been launched in the US.
Owners of Bigshot’s device need to assemble its parts in a specific sequence to make it work. An online guide explains the science behind them.
The new digital camera has been developed by a US computer science professor who used funds from Google and the US Department of Defence to devlop the kit.
“It’s about getting kids’ hands dirty,” Bigshot’s creator, Prof. Shree Nayar, told the BBC. “In an age when software rules I want kids to know how to build hardware.
“We describe concepts that children would normally encounter at college, but try to make them accessible even to an 8 or 10 year old.
“That’s where a lot of our effort has gone in – to try and make things like image processing, electronics and display technology understandable at some level to younger kids.”
The camera will feature a hand crank which will allow owners to take pictures when its battery runs out, and a rotatable wheel featuring three different lenses to let owners choose between regular, panoramic and 3D shots.
To bring the product to the market, Prof Nayar has licensed the design to Hong Kong-based manufacturer EduScience which will pay him royalties on its sales.
He plans to use part of the cash to send Bigshot cameras to underprivileged children around the globe.
Will you buy one of these Bigshot cameras? Comment below and let us know.
