OnePlus patents TV with pop-up camera that watches you watching television even if you move
Depending on your personal views about home privacy and smart devices with moving cameras, this OnePlus patent for a smart TV with a rotating pop-up camera will either delight or horrify. As shared by LetsGoDigital, the Chinese patent is for a smart TV that features a camera that is capable of extending out of the device’s frame and rotating as required.
The patent for the OnePlus smart TV with rotating pop-up camera states that “the camera module has a relatively large photographing range”, so users could expect it to follow them all around a room. This could be handy for things such as video calling while occupied with another activity, or for using face-recognition control on a smart TV without having to sit directly in front of the camera.
Companies such as Oppo and Huawei have already released smart TVs with pop-up cameras inside them, which are supposedly for innocuous purposes such as video chatting. Considering they are static, the camera units seem to be reasonably unobtrusive and easily moved away from. However, OnePlus wants to make sure its rotating camera can keep a watchful eye over its user.
Such a OnePlus smart TV clearly would not be suitable for the more distrusting types or anyone convinced that the Chinese government is in cahoots with various tech companies in regard to alleged spying opportunities. However, for those quite happy to remain the focus of their TV’s attention while moving around their living space, this could be an ideal solution.
Source(s)
LetsGoDigital (in Dutch) & patent documents (uploaded by LetsGoDigital)