Flying Stick Camera
The title should be enough to explain what this is. In case it isn’t, it’s a flying stick with a camera! Rub it between your palms to get some kinetic energy stored up. Then release and the Flying Stick automatically takes pictures at set intervals. You know what they say, everybody looks 5 lb lighter when photographed from above.
No mention of specs like camera resolution or memory but hey it’s a concept. If anything, it’s supposed to get your mind thinking, not criticizing.
Designer: Tsunho Wang
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I’m baffled at many of the technical concept designs here.
Of course it’s important to let your imagination run free, but sometimes it’s pointless designing things without paying respect to physical constraints.
This camera for example would have to rotate pretty fast to generate enough uplift. Now with a tiny CCD required to keep the weight down you just won’t get a sharp picture, even in good lighting conditions with the sensor rotating.
There’s a line somewhere that seperates actual industrial design from science fiction. The challenge is to embrace the constraints given by the world we live in. I’d like to see some more realistic designs presented here.
Besides that, I really like your blog, some of the things you present really amaze me.
As Chief Editor of Yanko Design, I try to stay objective but this is one time I have to comment.
As adults we lose something kids have in abundance, imagination with no limits, no boundaries. Our grown up perception of the world has crippled our ability to see beyond our horizon. A lot of concepts may be technically impossible but who’s to say that is the truth 10 years from now. Leonardo’s flying machines were impossible because of material constraints. Those concepts were brushed aside then but look at our flying machines now.
As industrial and product designers, minds open is a much better attitude to embrace. Limitless possibilities.
I’m from India, there’s a very cheap toy that resembles this (minus the camera) — I always thought how cool it would be to “be” on the flying thing when it flew up — THERE, now they’ve done it!
The sensor wouldn’t have to rotate by necessity, think of a helicopter - the cockpit doesn’t spin as fast as the blades. Its the job of the engineers to tell designers after the fact that it can’t be done, if we didn’t have designers thinking way outside the box, where would we be now?
“If anything, it’s supposed to get your mind thinking, not criticizing.”
i like it! i remember playing with thoes little things when i was a kid.. so nastalgic..
my friends and i onced rigged up a cheap little remote helicopter and placed our digital cam on it … NO.. we were not successful at all.. obviously it did not fly.. hha. sorry for the bad story
i like the product.. fun
Actually, I don’t believe this product is at all far from being technically possible to construct. With larger propellers lift is possible, provided the entire device is no more than a few ounces. The camera device at the bottom of the product could be attached on a free rotating cylinder - you spin the camera counterclockwise, then spin the device clockwise upwards. It wouldn’t completely cancel the camera’s spin, but with a good enough camera could take a good picture.
An issue I have thought up though would be durability of the product. If the product only reaches a couple meters into the air, no doubt it would be hard to catch and the camera on the bottom would impact the ground. Perhaps the bottom could be encased in some clear rubber-like material tip.
Love the play factor in the product, and a nice presentation.
I think this concept is totaly makable, just lool at those helicopters on which you pull a string to make the rotor turn whithout the body turning. What you could do is add another rotor on top of the first one and make it spin the opposite way at the exact same speed. That way you can make the rotors smaller, and add a protective ring around so that you don’t guillotine yourself with it. (which would make an interesting picture though) but after that, no rotation of the camera support. add three little standing feet that pop out as soon as the device hits it’s highest point so that it can land without breaking the camera (think about making this thing fly in the streets on asphalt.
Talking about devices not beeing physically makable is just non-sense and unconstructive. Think about ways to make it work!
I am a mechanical engineer and I agree it is more productive to find ways to make something work then to criticize how difficult it may be. The reason I became an engineer was to make science fiction a reality. I am inspired by art and fantasy. When I see a design like this I first decide if I like it, and then I do identify it’s flaws. But I do so because they are flaws that call for further investigation. I embrace the challenge to make the impossible work. That is what engineers do. We are problem solvers and we love to be challenged.
Another point: if you have ever been involved in true design even as a very technical engineer it is very common to begin the problem solving process by fantasizing about wacky crazy ideas and solutions. Over time you begin to narrow it down to a more realistic solution. And when you get there, you realize you would not have reached that point if you hadn’t first thought of the fantasy-like ideas. Its called brainstorming. Never be afraid of an idea, just keep moving forward and build on it. Open your mind.
If you ever want real advice as to whether something can be really made to work or not visit There you will find people who love to solve problems like this. There is always a way.
sorry I messed up the link .
it is http://www.prodmod.com
prodmod.com
It’s fun
Hmm, i’d rather go for solid glider with multiple hooks:
* ahead of center of mass for slingshot launch
* below center of lift for kite-like tow
* slightly above and behind center of mass, for lifting by balloon or another fly toy
More expensive models may include GPS boomerang, i.e. return to the point of power-up, rest and beginning of rapid lift.
And finally, why not make just a tiny camera for attaching to existing fly toys, being set off by self-timer after acceleration and then smoothing out.
The previous comment is just listing the same function without any design put into the function. Plus those are far more cumbersome ideas. This design around the camera function is so simple as to make it a game from our childhoods. I really like it and could actually use it in my line of work as an architectural illustrator. But it would need to be of somewhat decent resolution. Nice presentation also.
GOOD~
As far as handling the spinning camera affect- in addition to or instead of preventing the camera from rotating - What if you used a standard strobe flash on the camera? That should allow you to increase the shutter speed to something like 1/100 of a second. If the shutter is fast enough it would be ok if the camera was spinning or even wobbling a bit. Its like when you take a photo in sports mode - the action is frozen in time and you dont see the blur- as long as you have enough light. This way you’d be less concerned about motion of the camera.
I know a lot of people who would buy that if it was on the market.
I love it! I’d buy one — in fact I want to buy one now … Very, very cool.