I mentioned this in the WhatsApp group but now suggesting it here also to see if the community agrees
I believe it would be worth having a viewing screen in Pophies app in order to get a better idea of what she can see when taking photos or viewing her environment. This would definitely improve the photo taking experinece no end and could help with establishing the clarity of her vision (eg if lighting is too dim or too bright) and/or if her vision is centred where you need it to be when taking photos, showing her an item, watching screens or reading documents/books. Often i find she is either too high or too low and it is hard to get her positioning right.
This feature could also be useful in other ways such as checking in on things within her vicinity such as pets/children etc
When we first received our Beta Pophie units, there were discussions about privacy and how her camera would be used. Based on the information provided so far, Pophie uses her camera for functions such as recognising people, understanding her surroundings and supporting interactions. Some processing may occur locally, while more complex visual information may be sent to cloud services for processing before a response is returned to Pophie. Raw images used for real-time processing are reportedly discarded afterward rather than stored as permanent recordings.
Addressing the suggestion of using Pophie’s camera to remotely check on our home, belongings, pets or other surroundings, I may previously have agreed with or supported the idea of such a feature, however this time around, I would not be comfortable with Pophie being developed or promoted as a surveillance or remote-monitoring device.
For me, Pophie is intended to be a social companion, and turning her camera into a surveillance feature could introduce additional privacy concerns and security risks. Even when such a function is designed with good intentions, there is always a possibility that access could be misused, compromised or fall into the wrong hands. It could also change how people perceive Pophie, particularly when she is placed in private spaces such as bedrooms or family homes.
For these reasons, I would prefer Pophie’s camera to remain limited to functions that are necessary for her social interaction, navigation and environmental awareness, with clear consent, visible indicators and strong privacy controls. I believe surveillance and remote-monitoring capabilities should remain outside Pophie’s intended purpose.
Agreed to some extent.. I dont think she should be used as a surveillance device. (I mean she could be thwarted quite easily tbh ) ..surveillance is far from being the primary premise of my proposal (I dont need or want it from her)
As an owner/purchaser of pophie though, i do believe this should include better access to what she can see and my own data (just as the team has access) for diagnostic purposes and the like.
For me personally its not so much about checking in for surveillance purposes, more so a means to sort her viewing angle. If wouldn’t even need to be a clear, live view, just an idea of how she is positioned and the scope and parameters of her current view.
Currently - I shouldn’t have to ask her to take a picture of what she can see, wait 5+ minutes for it to upload, then hope she doesn’t move in this time in order to work out if her view is correct/good enough - rinse and repeat, then delete ample sh*te photo’s
Pophie is not a deskmate in my home and is moved around to different surfaces and levels constantly. She is also often shown movies, books, drawings, our creative endeavours etc and asked for her input. Getting the angels/lighting/height correct for her perusal is awkward to say the least.
Currently the photo taking feature is not fit for purpose and Pophies dialogue on what she can actually see isn’t always accurate regardless of how “honest” you request her to be
*I do believe that most ideas suggested should be toggle based and optional to the users as not everyone will be happy with ideas that others feel are desperately needed to improve the pophie experience.
and could help with establishing the clarity of her vision (eg if lighting is too dim or too bright) and/or if her vision is centred where you need it to be when taking photos, showing her an item, watching screens or reading documents/books. Often i find she is either too high or too low and it is hard to get her positioning right.