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Someone's invented a Polaroid camera that prints actual moving GIFs

It's like something out of Harry Potter

Someone's invented a Polaroid camera that prints actual moving GIFs
04 September 2017

Polaroid cameras are silly really, aren’t they? Bit of a craze, a flash-in-the-pan trend – a day with a Polaroid camera involves printing low-quality photos immediately, for some reason, then losing them.

But hey, they can also be a fun addition to a day out, and a lot of people love these kinds of gadgets – which means this Polaroid camera that actually prints moving GIFs is already getting folk excited.

Like, you know how you can take videos on your phone and then watch them back whenever you want? Well this does that, but the videos are really short and you have to watch them on a block of white plastic, in worse quality. However, you are actually printing out a moving picture, like something out of Harry Potter, and that is admittedly quite cool.

Abhishek Singh, an inventor and techno-whizz, decided he’d make the machine, because, well: “Don't ask me why I built it, it sounded like a fun challenge and I always wanted to hold a moving photo.”

Good start. He continues:

“What I love about these kinds of projects is that they involve a bunch of different skill sets and disciplines – hardware, software, 3D modeling, 3D printing, circuit design, mechanical/electrical engineering, design, fabrication etc that need to be integrated for it to work seamlessly. Ironically this is also what I hate about these kinds of projects :P”

The camera isn’t actually for sale at the moment – Singh just made it as a personal challenge. But you know that if he did make them available to buy, that people would snap those mothers up. Next house party, some dork in a bucket hat with dream-catcher hanging off his jeans or some shit, he’s in the kitchen, taking selfie-GIFs of him doing the hang-loose sign and resolutely not letting anyone else play on it. 

Anyway, here’s a video of it ‘in action’:

If you fancy checking out some more of Singh’s booooonnkkkeeerrss inventions, head on over to his website here.