The Pot:
Thermal Printing Instant Camera


2021, Winter

The Pot is a Digital thermal printing instant camera, designed, engineered, sourced, assembled, and visualized by me.

The project was initiated while examing the methodology of engineering-driven product design. Thermal printer cameras have long been taken as a low-budget, low-tech substitution for digital and traditional instant cameras. Instead of approaching it as a toy for kids or a DIY project, I took the project as a design exercise about building around hardware, sourcing parts and arranging them under limitations, while seeking established functionality.

The camera consists of a thermal printer, a 5-megapixel digital camera, a customized microcontroller board, and a battery.


The physical interaction with the object and its fingertips' interactive properties will be the next topic of discussion. If you are interested in this item or would like to make one yourself, contact me for more information.





Shuyuan Zheng Deisgn & Digital Assets
© 2021 Shuyuan Zheng.