Dashboard cameras, more popularly known by the name “dashcams,” have pretty much become a staple of modern vehicles. Although they don’t exactly prevent accidents from occurring, they can offer peace of mind knowing that you will have the recording you need for resolving matters after the fact. Humans don’t have dashboards, of course, but the equivalent body cameras or body cams are utilized by law enforcers for almost the same purpose, serving as a deterrent to both crime and abuse.
Cars and police aren’t the only ones who need such protection and promises of safety, though. For the longest time, ordinary folk are left to fend for themselves or resort to action cameras to get similar footage. SLIMDESIGN is trying to challenge that status quo with a body cam that is small enough to easily pin on your clothes yet also capable enough to offer some sense of security, especially in case of an emergency.
Designer: SLIMDESIGN
We’ve had our fill of AI pins that turn out to be vaporware, but thankfully this isn’t the case here even though the design almost looks like one. PhoneCam is meant more for safety and security, with AI as just the icing on top. Unless, of course, you are completely dependent on that AI companion, which actually demonstrates one of the key strengths of this wearable AI device.
At its heart, though, PhoneCam is a small bodycam made especially for your average consumer, recording footage during emergencies, sending distress signals, and even providing real-time video to emergency contacts. The reason why it’s so small is that it doesn’t contain much hardware, leveraging your smartphone’s capabilities instead. That includes CPU for AI applications, GPS for location, and cellular or Wi-Fi networks for connectivity. Because of that, PhoneCam also promises to be more affordable, making it accessible to people outside of law enforcement, military, and the like.
And yes, it does have some AI functionality, though it’s being advertised as a way to help people navigate the world around them. This is especially useful for persons with vision impairments, turning PhoneCam into something like a bionic eye. Given that the AI is really running on your phone, there is also plenty of room for additional functionality, giving it the potential to be a true AI assistant.
PhoneCam’s petite pill-shaped design is both a strength and a potential privacy problem. While it does make it easy to place the camera anywhere on your person without getting in your way or looking too obnoxious, it also prevents other people from immediately recognizing a recording device. Yes, it has a strong light that indicates when it’s currently active, but not everyone might be able to quickly clue in on that fact before their face gets potentially recorded as they pass by. Still, it’s an interesting design with lots of potential, and hopefully, it won’t go the way of certain AI-focused wearable cameras.