Digital Eye Camera

Olympus Digital Eye Camera, 1990. The first elasto-metrically moulded, fully integrated Digital Camera that represents the shift from analogue-manual film to silicone memory chip. Accompanying the camera is the first docking device innovation to download information derived from advanced behavioural studies. The objective was to break free from the hard mechanical device with multiple parts and openings that had characterised camera designs as a consequence of loading film from a spool; and move towards a more biological ‘soft‘ device that was more akin to a prosthetic in its biomorphic form and material. The form study itself inspired by the work of Achille Castiglioni (his Childrens camera for Ferrania 1964) and Mario Bellini (Divisuma, Olivetti 1972) resulted in a holistically integrated, organically succinct body form whereby the externalised hard elements formed the datums for its hydro-elastic skin.