Eyecam is a creepy webcam shaped like a human eye

How much of what you did today has been monitored and recorded? If you don’t know, or haven’t considered it, then this anthropomorphic webcam by researchers at Saarland University in Germany might just start up that mental conversation. That’s because their Eyecam is always watching.

The device looks like an incredibly realistic eyeball, complete with surrounding flesh, eyelids, and an eyebrow. Inside is a series of six servo motors that allow it to gaze around the room and emote, under the control of an Arduino Nano. The Eyecam also includes a tiny HD camera, which is fed into a Raspberry Pi Zero to be recognized by a computer as a plug-and-play webcam.

It’s definitely strange and thought-provoking, and build files are even available if you’d like to construct your own!

Image credit: Marc Teyssier