The future of…

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Future of video cameras

Feb 1999

Video cameras are commonplace today, so much so that over 96% of all the data in the world is on private camcorder tapes! We are well used to surveillance and police speed cameras on our streets an in public transport. Some cameras are so small they are almost invisibly concealed to catch shoplifters or to detect the culprits of office theft. Crime may just be migrating elsewhere, but the holes in the surveillance network are gradually being filled in so soon it will have nowhere else to go. We see sports action routinely through the 'eyes' of a cricket bale, a snooker cue, or a racing car driver.

One of the biggest changes will come from the ubiquity of video surveillance, especially networking. It will be easy in future to see what the traffic is like in town, or whether a shop is busy. Digital TV will allow you to take a seat in the local theatre production and the internet already allows remote attendance at many conferences.

As the cost and performance of digital still and video cameras continues to improve, and we see their ongoing miniaturisation, the potential for future use is huge. One of the key areas will be in toys. Most children play with dolls at some stage, whether Action Man or Barbie. In the future, these dolls could have their eyes replaced by video cameras, and of course have microphone ears too. The images could be relayed to TV or to head-worn displays so that the child can see the world through the eyes of their doll. The doll's house may seem much more realistic when seen from the eyes of the appropriate doll, and f course there may even be cameras in the house itself. Playing toy soldiers would similarly be more compelling through the doll's eyes.

Of course, just as real soldiers will see the world with digitally enhanced vision, the computer could similarly enhance the playing experience with digital battlefields overlaid on the back garden. Similarly, the plastic TV in the doll's house may appear to have real TV showing on it and the other dolls could be made to appear more lifelike by digital overlay. Combining the computer games and real world in this way gives a great deal more scope for imagination and fun. Networking adds yet another degree of freedom, allowing the children to have their dolls interact with others far away, digitally adding them to the appropriate scenes.

Some other novelties become possible too. A digital goldfish could be added to the real tank, seeing the world and other fish from a goldfish point of view, or you could effectively be the robotic fly on the wall. Robotic pets with video cameras are addressed in another article.

Home security is already making some use of video surveillance, but as the prices continue to fall, we may have many cameras, watching for potential problems and automatically recording suspicious activities. These images could be relayed to a neighbourhood watch recording system for extra security. A burglar who has stolen the video may see some footage of the action on the stolen player with subtitles explaining that the police also have a copy. While you are away, you could have a quick video check around your house via the internet. Video cameras and speakers at the front door would allow you to chat to a caller from the office.

DIY could be made easier too. Often there are inaccessible places where groping around substitutes very poorly for being able to see properly what you are doing. Some places are too awkward to allow you to get your head into a suitable position. With a small video camera that could be attached to tools, or at the very least squeezed into a convenient location, many such tasks might be much easier. You would actually be able to see where to put the screw or where the hole is.

We could also see video cameras built into our spectacle frames so that we can record what we see for future reference to improve our records of key events. Of course, this needs large capacity recording devices, but as we move towards more wearable computers, this may not be a problem.