Getting help from a virtual professional photographer

Put, yet another, computer on your digital camera and let it find out the best setting combination for a perfect photo. Credit: Arsenal

Just stumbled on a Kickstarter project seeking funding (50,000$, as of end of May over 300,000 have been collected…) to create an add on to plug in on your digital camera to make sense of all tricky settings that todays digital cameras offer.

The project comes from Arsenal who has already developed a working prototype (watch the clip) that plugs in on the flash slit of your DSRL camera. The computer inside the device (see the photo) runs an artificial intelligence based application that is able to control some 18 parameters of the camera. Digital cameras have an embedded computer (actually they may have more than one, my camera has at least 4 of them …) to set the camera’s parameters and you spend quite some time fiddling with the various buttons and wheels (unless you opt for the Auto setting but then why would you buy a DSRL camera?).

The computer plugs in the flash slit on top of your DSRL camera. Crediti: Arsenal

The Arsenal has developed a software that is able to learn from million of photos taken in different conditions and apply the knowledge derived (through deep learning algorithms) to the specific photo you are about to take autonomously setting all parameters. You can see the result of the shooting before it even takes place since Arsenal will make a rendering of the result and will show it on your smartphone screen. If you like it just press the virtual button on your smartphone screen and Arsenal will take care of the rest. If you would still like to consider different options you can tune the image to your satisfaction and Arsenal will set the parameters accordingly and it will learn your tastes in photography for future shooting, becoming your professional photo assistant.

Artificial intelligence is becoming an invisible companion in many of our daily life activities and will keep expanding its presence in the coming years.

About Roberto Saracco

Roberto Saracco fell in love with technology and its implications long time ago. His background is in math and computer science. Until April 2017 he led the EIT Digital Italian Node and then was head of the Industrial Doctoral School of EIT Digital up to September 2018. Previously, up to December 2011 he was the Director of the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Venice, looking at the interplay of technology evolution, economics and society. At the turn of the century he led a World Bank-Infodev project to stimulate entrepreneurship in Latin America. He is a senior member of IEEE where he leads the New Initiative Committee and co-chairs the Digital Reality Initiative. He is a member of the IEEE in 2050 Ad Hoc Committee. He teaches a Master course on Technology Forecasting and Market impact at the University of Trento. He has published over 100 papers in journals and magazines and 14 books.