How about a body mounted video camera, turned off or on by some inconspicuous means? Then, put one on everyone (or at least everyone that would want one). Kind of like wearing guns on your hip in the Old West days. Everyone knows you have it. Everyone would be capable of taping any event or person within camera range just by being present. A criminal could never be sure if he was being taped. Nor would the police or politicans.

A low power consuming, computer chip run, video camera with ample storage of some type probably wouldn't add too much to the average purse, backpack, or cargo pockets.

Of course you'd be watching them, so you'd have to be at least as responsible as they are. Oh...that probably wouldn't be that hard.
-- Justin Case, Sep 18 2001

Instant replay http://www.halfbake...ea/Instant_20replay
Less of a surveillance angle. [jutta, Sep 18 2001]

Digital camera with wireless broadcast http://www.halfbake...ireless_20broadcast
[jutta, Sep 18 2001]

Mixed feelings here. I'd enjoy being that kind of a "gargoyle" (Neal Stephenson uses the term in "Snow Crash", no idea why), but would loathe to be at the receiving end. You can really hurt someone by showing things they do or say out of context.

Technicalities: don't store it on the device. Instead, broadcast the data encrypted to a redistribution point nearby. (Otherwise, all someone in need of privacy needs to do is destroy your recording equipment.)

[You'd still control access to the data - that's where the encryption comes in.]
-- jutta, Sep 18 2001


I think your videos should remain your property to use as you see fit. Broadcasting it to your own computer would be a good idea.

Something important to you could be broadcast there and to a distribution facility. What a great way to get news to the news outlets!
-- Justin Case, Sep 18 2001


I actually have one of these things - a combi PDA, cellphone and realtime video camera. I helped design it. And it works .....

It's a little bulky, though.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 12 2002


I don't know about this, but I do like the idea of a completely unspontaneous, premeditated counterpart to a Candid-Camera-type show, which is what I thought your item was going to be, and which seems really dumb now that I've typed it and am actually looking at it.
-- Ander, Jan 17 2008


i've envisioned one of those big pin-on buttons with a smiley face and a lens in the middle. Useful while buying a used car.
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 17 2008


I've heard of a similar device. The video cam is always on, and the last 30 seconds or so of audio/video is stored on RAM. If you come across something "newsworthy", press a button and the contents of the ram cache get downloaded onto a flash drive for semi-permanent storage so you can view it at leisure at home on your PC.

The device i saw was mounted on a hat.
-- vmaldia, Jan 17 2008


//A low power consuming, computer chip run, video camera// Hyphenate, hyphenate, hyphenate.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 19 2008


Definitley skirting the Orwellian World. But tempting. Instead of taping the law breaking scene it may have to be automatically sent to the Police recorder to maintain a semblance of objectivity. Could be used to clean up our dangerous highways very quickly, the next time someone rides your bumper at 70 mph, just show the police, with OFFICIAL Time, GPS, Car speeds and license plate registered. A few scenes of the same guy breaking the same law would cook him easy, he'd know he'd be caught, he wouldn't be tempted.
-- M Carter, Jan 22 2008


This is one of those ideas (especially what [8th] said) that reminds me that smartphones weren't completely obvious to literally every person back in 2001.
-- notexactly, Nov 15 2015



random, halfbakery