Weird webcam mod that enables eye-contact conversation

[@CreativoErratico]

"To test it, I'll be calling my mom. But why call my actual mom, when I can build one? For that, I'm going to need..."

[@sunitavlogs9792]

You're going to need what? 😂😂

[@MisterIkkus]

so, so much aluminium.

[@mol-lyn]

@@MisterIkkus and a bunch of led strips :P

[@HoneyLaBronx]

@@mol-lyn You said it so I don't have to! ;)

[@dzhiurgis]

> used laptop batteries > one pint of milk > some tape

[@wanelito]

I watch you since I was in highschool, when I didn't even know how to speak english, now I can say thanks. greetings from Chile Sir.

[@electric-ginx8376]

You watch him since high school and only learned to say "thanks"? 😂😂😂

[@adriantorres199]

@@electric-ginx8376 You mocked him for "thanks" when he wrote a whole sentence? 😂😂😂

[@electric-ginx8376]

@@adriantorres199 that's exactly right

[@nocontext9635]

@@electric-ginx8376 dude theres people more dumber than you

[@camilomolina2110]

Saludos desde Ecuador!! Recien descubri este canal y es bastante interesante.

[@ducklaser]

I feel like I'm watching Art Attack for adults. I feel happy.

[@yeet_rabbits506]

And you don´t need 2 kilos of uranium for a fucking pencilcase

[@swinny_]

Totally underrated comment

[@ragequit4537]

Exactly

[@edumaker-alexgibson]

Yes!!! I knew the vibe was familiar!

[@averageanon5504]

OH MY GOD THE NOSTALGIA

[@misty5983]

Seems like a lot of work to look at people I don’t want to see

[@army6669990101]

for meetings i dont want to be on

[@rextransformation7418]

😂😂😂

[@spmain97]

😭

[@JorgetePanete]

do a DIY screen blocker, you'll need a hand

[@jesus2621]

Lol i just paste an small black tape to the cammera, i dont want someone to see me, and dont want to see anyone

[@romxxii]

"It's very easy! just use crafting foam" ...okay I can do that "then fit a two-way mirror in there" ...okay getting a bit hard "finally disassemble an old laptop and take its webcam" NOW HOLD UP

[@meranger92]

Extracting the webcam sounds tricky, but it´s actually far more easy than changing the hard drive or adding more ram for most modern laptops. On many models you can lift the frame which encircles the display even without any tools just by slightly pulling it forward, you could do this while watching a video on how to do this without even the need to pause that video, given that "10-Minute Standard" on youtube you could afterwards lean back and watch the remaining 8 minutes.

[@robynstewardson]

perhaps best you don't watch this channel??

[@jasonlake]

NOW HOLD UP... He supplied search terms to purchase a camera if you don't have an old laptop or the know how to take one apart. Most of his creations can be made by just about anyone but this one is on the easier side I would say. No soldering required if you're not comfortable with it or don't have the equipment. Just twist and tape the wires.

[@mrbane2000]

Use android cam over wifi

[@frankie123456ization]

@@mrbane2000 Worst suggestion

[@ryansullivan3085]

"When we talk to each other we look each other in the eyes" Introverts: we what now?

[@HennyoneCanGetIt]

hahahahaha

[@Jason-dc8jx]

its very awkward, even looking at their lips when the'yre talking.

[@birdgirl8390]

I mean props for his effort but this is way too much effort for someone who's even too awkward to call a doctor when sick, aka me 🙋🏻

[@lilyofluck371]

Nuero untypical people agree(forgot what it's called.)

[@frogmech_]

@@lilyofluck371 neurodivergent

[@mydadsaplumber]

This guy always looks like he just remembered a funny joke and he's about to tell you

[@ViciousPikachu]

Lmaooooo I thought the same

[@dsingh2391]

Emo Toby Maguire

[@ebutuoy4811]

Can't believe you copied this comment from his previous video. How sad that you can't use your brain and think of something on your own.

[@ficsongeorge]

Copied comment

[@novavii9663]

Can't believe you copied this comment from his previous video. How sad that you can't use your brain and think of something on your own.

[@Wellthisisnotwhatiintended]

Feels like this guy is staring into my soul.

[@lol-oh5zq]

Wtaf

[@lol-oh5zq]

Wtaf

[@TheCheffJeff]

@lyric Cook its sooo gay, guess that means you can't look anyone in the eye anymore or else you're GAY.

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

i detest making eye contact with people its creepy ,so i prefer the offset cameras

[@omtapkir8639]

@lyric Cook lmao

[@ProSkillsGamer]

"it's easy to make" **pulls out perfect size mirror for his laptop** - all jokes aside this was a great video!

[@LeslieSolorzanov]

thought the same thing XD. I wouldnt want to carry a mirror in my bag

[@rossclutterbuck1060]

@@LeslieSolorzanov it's plastic mirror, nowhere near as brittle. Just put some of the same foam board around it in transport. Hell, it'll even slip inside the shroud when collapsed.

[@alexmartian3972]

He did not show how to cut one to size.

[@michaelthibault7930]

Attn: @DIY Perks Keeping in mind that you can, on a laptop, move and resize the window displaying the other person on the call… do so and then bindi the lens of the external camera over the caller's face. Looking into the eyes of the image of your caller in its window will result in your eye-line falling _slightly_ below the 'natural' eye-line (i.e. eye-to-eye), which is arguably a better way to address someone -- it has you 'looking' at points just below their eye(s). Direct, but non-confrontational. You can vary the location of the bindi from the mid-point of the forehead down to the bridge of the nose of the image of your caller, with the lower position probably being more 'natural'. If you set up the camera 'boom' using stiff wire, once set up, you can re-use the configuration with little fuss. A narrow camera+mic would be preferable in any case. The foam-board would better be used to raise your own laptop (or handheld device) to your own eye-level.

[@vandalest]

Maintaining straight eye contact in video call: "I'm looking at your powerpoint now"

[@ncrikku]

giggity

[@poiiihy]

lol

[@gutterg0d]

@@melkerclaesson6570 Grab the motor and rail from an old scanner and hook them up with USB, write a driver that moves the camera if the window with the videocall goes out of focus. For extra points, make it move in 3D for that proper angle and then have it adjust the camera position with facetracking. Not overkill at all. :D

[@DVAnl]

And to make it easy i will show you that it is posible without soldering, by simply twisting the wires.

[@anonymousarmadillo6589]

Funny thing is, matt's mom also appears to be looking at the camera!

[@vitalino1981]

IKR!

[@TheTruthKiwi]

Yeah, wasn't the whole point to show the contrast between using his rig and just looking at the screen? She must've thought she looked silly by not looking at the camera. :p

[@shadower-cs1dv]

@@TheTruthKiwi what if she got display positioned behind the camera? Or had top of the display on her eye level so she naturally looks at top of display? Hmm I don't see a point if she seems to have eye contact If she don't have special shroud.

[@Gwalchgwyn]

My guess: she's using a newer device with a software-based 'eye-contact' feature/filter (which literally alters the video on the fly to change the angle of your gaze). When she looks to the camera, it looks like she is looking at something above the screen- the reason *has* to be that the video is being altered by software. Unfortunately, it skews the demonstration. Edit: it also demonstrates that such a feature is actually desired, and that it can be achieved by 'old school' means if you're the Blue Peter of awesome DIY gadgets. ;)

[@Moulk]

@@Gwalchgwyn Whaaat. We're living in the future :o

[@markdheilong]

This can also be used as a teleprompter with a screen on the bottom reflected upwards for the viewer to read while it scrolls reversed text and upside down (reflected text). A camera can be placed behind the 2-way mirror to record the subject in front of the 2-way mirror. The field of view would not impede the camera recording the subject because there'll be more light in front of the screen lighting the subject.

[@aidanmartzloff]

i love how his mom also looks like she is looking into the camera

[@yarden-zamir]

Yea... We don't talk about that part

[@Firebrand911]

And how when she looks at the camera she looks like shes looking up. I was like.... does she already have the system!?!? Anyway, his side did look very natural.

[@Zak-ob5ze]

*mum not mom

[@xeldinn86]

@@Zak-ob5ze Whatever man.

[@Zak-ob5ze]

@@xeldinn86 UK > USA

[@Crim1995]

"When we talk to each other, we look into each others eyes" Me: Instantly scrolls to comments

[@gamingtips2.03]

Me too

[@juanignaciojaime7563]

Same

[@mikeshipway6158]

The mirror angle could be changed so that you can look where you are comfortable and it would appear you making eye contact to normeys at the other end. This will make them comfortable without making you uncomfortable. Everyone wins.

[@thisiskc]

Perhaps fair to say many of us read peoples expressions and body language more than we look into their eyes.

[@Akula114]

And it's a really interesting reverse TelePrompter. As some folk may not know, the real device in TV production puts the camera behind the semi-silvered mirror and the screen (your laptop) on the bottom. In essence the camera and speaker are directly facing each other with a reflection of the screen - usually the script rolling upwards - being all the speaker sees. That's how newsreaders and announcers get through reams of script without looking away.

[@mayankp1000]

Ok, how many dead laptops does this guy have?

[@TheCustomFHD]

I actually have 5 dead ones xD

[@spamspasm8183]

Probably the same number as people reported missing in his area over the last year or two.

[@swafty5813]

Probably the same amount that Neil Breen has.

[@SugarBeetMC]

All of them.

[@ichaa3tech]

I actually have 4 . the problem is i dont have a new one . so i clustered them with barrier and some ssh

[@davidfranzkoch9789]

the beauty of his content are the totally ghetto methods used to produce really thought out, practical stuff. Really cool!

[@DissTrackTed]

Racist.

[@tuckersprayberry1491]

@@DissTrackTed hahaha I'm MAD

[@paulaldo9413]

So essentially you're just making a reverse-teleprompter. Lol, love it though.

[@Looserkid13]

exactly. But this still can be pattened tho.

[@frida507]

@@BlondieHappyGuy Zoom can mirror it for you.

[@Ewr42]

@@BlondieHappyGuy I look better mirrored and I can write backwards, or simply write on a glass wall in front of you so it's backwards to the camera

[@YusufIslam1]

@@Looserkid13 I won't be. Also it's going to be dead in the water since under display camera are starting come out on phones, eventually you'll see it in laptops and placed probably in the middle.

[@htko89]

It's not reverse at all. Put text on the screen and it's a teleprompter, like exactly so, it would show text while letting you look into the camera.

[@AlBrownComedy]

Hiya, Matt’s Mum! Matt makes brilliant videos that also seem to naturally alleviate my anxiety issues. Whenever I’m having a particularly bad episode and the medication isn’t quite handling it for me, I do some breathing exercises and watch DIY Perks. Even if it takes an hour, it absolutely works. And I get to learn something at the same time. You have an amazing son, and thank you so much for raising this person into the incredible young man he is. Love to all of you in the UK. Stay home, stay safe, and be well ❤️

[@alvaromoe]

❤️

[@filippiasec]

cool view,thnx

[@dadadaddyoo]

Glad to hear that DIY Perks is helping you manage your anxiety. Matt has such a soothing voice that I can see him doing guided meditations. BTW, consider adding meditation to your anxiety management tool box. I didn't know how much tension I was carrying around until I used meditation to become conscious of it and where it was in my body.

[@rhaib]

Thanks lol I live in london

[@leefhead1]

"Hey, are you available for a call?" "Yeah sure, just give me 30 minutes to setup and calibrate my web cam"

[@sadev101]

alternatively glue the webcam in the foamboard shroud so the shroud has internal cam and on the bottom a usb cable sticks out for the laptop. that way its calibrated already

[@somedude2492]

@@sadev101 you calibrate it relative to the image, not the position on the physical screen

[@littlegandhi1199]

Sometimes it's worth driving for an hour to meet someone face to face to have a more meaningful conversation too. This can be worth the time too.

[@jasonstarkson5261]

@@littlegandhi1199 uhm corona?

[@zito88]

This honestly looks a bit silly on a laptop, but is itself super useful. I'd definitely put it on a dedicated cheap 1080p monitor and have that in a dedicated video call location for work meetings. That way you can leave everything in place and make it more permanent and it wouldn't look at janky as it does when you have to make it all removable. Also not having to set it up every time would make it easier to use, thus making it more likely to actually be used.

[@sectionq1]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of doing. Did you ever do this, and did it work as expected? Also, did you use the flat laptop camera, or did you manage to find a way of incorporating a regular camera, seeing as laptop cameras are generally a bit terrible.

[@Beasto]

List of people who stare into our souls: DIY Perks Vinheteiro Seth Everman its jerian Braco davie504

[@motttta]

Quem é o Vinheteiro?

[@ThunderStormFortnite]

Add its jerian

[@trashmail7174]

And also search for Braco! He has the best gaze!

[@legoman9421]

And davie504

[@afaelr]

@@motttta search for Vinheteiro's KZbin channel He plays piano

[@AmateurPetrolHead]

I"ll Stick the webcam on the centre of my screen directly. Thanks!

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

That's the first thing I thought of.

[@Fahim.Rahman]

That would block the screen right

[@tl1882]

@@Fahim.Rahman its a joke

[@caramellesweggose]

@@tl1882 no, if It Is a small camera It might work

[@Nickgowans]

@@Fahim.Rahman better than blocking the keyboard and touchpad I guess. And if it's a second monitor, then what difference does it make?

[@jameseiner]

[Looks into a mirror (technically)] _"It's like looking into a mirror"_

[@EpicBenjo]

**spends 2 hours making shroud** "Next, you need this very special mirror." Me: 😐

[@1234andrew1234]

Maybe watch the whole video next time? 😂😂😂

[@KaliTakumi]

My man really barely got into the video and started going to work 😂

[@bmxscape]

@@KaliTakumi nothing better to do in quarantine than follow random youtube tutorials

[@rotor7135]

bmxscape well yeah but if you’re doing something like this where you’ve gotta go out and buy stuff you’d generally watch the whole video before making it

[@tOSdude]

A normal sheet of glass may work in a pinch.

[@RiffsAndRibeyes]

Theon Greyjoy really cleaned up after that incident with Ramsay Bolton.

[@TEMUCHINYONGA]

This is the only way he gets it off now. Good riddance tho

[@reyariass]

Who?

[@xodronico]

He made a new one in a 3d printer, or with foam and super glue

[@TheRangeControl]

LMFAO!! You're a nut.

[@d_ruttz9135]

@@reyariass it's a GoT reference

[@WonderingWanderer14]

People in long distance relationships: I'LL TAKE YOUR ENTIRE STOCK

[@scriptosaurusrex]

After three years of honey, I have saved a whopping nothing.

[@toad3222]

Have you bought anything

[@scriptosaurusrex]

@@toad3222 obviously.....

[@efnerva664]

Same here

[@Mystipaoniz]

a good product sells itself. They wouldn't need to advertise on KZbin ^^ I didn't even watched the ad so i don't even know what is Honey. And i don't care ^^ But...if you have the patience to explain a bit more about your experience with them i'd read that man! That i care and i'm interested in ^^ Cheers!

[@scriptosaurusrex]

@@Mystipaoniz It's a browser plugin, that tries out discount codes ay checkout - so that in theory you don't have to search for them yourself. My experience is that it either never has any codes at all, or says something along the lines of 'we applied all codes, see what you saved', which has never been even a single cent...

[@mileschun143]

Matt has the kind of genius thats like, "holy shit, a like a teleprompter but BACKWARDS, why didn't I think of that"

[@LaurentLaSalle]

His way is much cheaper though, and allows you to use the display normally (without having to flip the image).

[@xposhr]

It's not backwards, this is exactly how they work.

[@Kalvinjj]

@@xposhr Isn't usually the camera behind the mirror pointing straight to you, with the screen bellow shooting on the mirror tho? Indeed sort of backwards, but the effect is identical.

[@IanMorrisJournalist]

@@Kalvinjj yeah, that's right. But this would work if you put a phone or a tablet where the camera was, and put a camera where the laptop screen was. You could cut a hole in the back to shoot into too. These Autocue/Teleprompters are MASSIVELY overpriced if you buy them, and this could be a very workable solution for studio use.

[@thomashenden71]

When DIY-people on KZbin makes something, it seems 10x easier and faster than it really is, to construct something.

[@allenikedi291]

You should become an actor, you've got the looks and the expressions

[@BharathRamMS]

I wonder if he is Leo (zodiac sign).

[@MarcusJayMusic]

I would love to see him playing a crazed psychopath who slays his victims ragefully with modified gadgets he’s meticulously and lovingly crafted himself.

[@Tonywirthfilms]

Allen Ikedi I bet he would rather keep making weird shit

[@toad3222]

@@BharathRamMS what???

[@NGC1433]

He already is acting a successful youtuber!

[@levaidaniel]

His mom looks like she's making eye contact, even though they're saying she doesn't have this contraption yet.

[@Amperzand]

Yes I thought so too, and when she looked at the camera, it looked like she was looking above the camera.

[@moa132]

she could be using a phone instead of a laptop. and probably kept it a little far so that's why you won't realize the difference.

[@wokeupinapanic]

Moadh Al Riyami that, or some iPhones use algorithms to virtually edit and move your eyes to look like you’re looking at the camera when you’re looking at the screen.

[@adammetc]

I have the same happen with my laptop. From what I understand of photography, if you shift the lens down from where it would normally be, you can actually achieve this effect in the camera hardware. It would make a heap of sense to build this shift into the cameras that sit at the top of a laptop so that people looking at the middle of the screen appear to be looking at the camera. External webcams probably don't do this, nor would cheap laptop webcams. So there's a problem to be solved with the external rig...

[@borjojo]

@@adammetc exactly what I was thinking. 👏👏👏

[@nandkumar9954]

"I did this for my laptop spending eternal hours. But then I realize, the friend I'm talking to on the other side is actually looking at his laptop screen while talking to me.... so now i'm building another one for him"

[@faustin289]

That's the idea. Eye-contact has to be both wise

[@ganeshsonawanemail]

Tumhi kasa kaay banawala bhau te, sangal ka?

[@kennethsizer6217]

🤣😂

[@waterunderthebridge7950]

When extroverts are forced into an introverted lifestyle: Modern problems require modern solutions

[@v3mn292]

VR gang

[@forgottenfries]

manwhile here i am, feeling uncomfortable because of the forced eye contact feeling

[@swipyduck]

He even called his sweet mom to test the eye contact omg this youtuber guys, definitely the best DIY content on whole KZbin!

[@adnanjam]

Very wholesome channel

[@OfficialNukeDukem]

I like Matt, but I'd hardly call it the best DIY content

[@HowardEllisonUKVoice]

Super piece of diy explanation! It's really worthwhile. A couple of years ago I made up one near enough identical without having seen this video. Wanted maximum engagement with a new friend in faraway France. She noticed the steady eye contact immediately, and very much liked it. In my case, I used a desktop Mac, with plug-in webcam positioned behind the half-silvered mirror.

[@SnareGG]

"its not particularly difficult" have you ever met a user? they dont even know how to shut down a system

[@maxz8807]

I have a funny story about that actually.... So my friend used to work in a tech support office when cd/DVD drives and desktop computers where brand new, and he got many calls about people wondering, and I quote, "why their cupholder closes when they shut down the system". Yes, they used the hole in the CD drive tray as a cupholder. After hearing this I am not surprised by any level of stupidity lol

[@YonatanAvhar]

*Closes laptop* *Opens laptop* Reboted it

[@thedoneeye]

Matt: So I'm testing out the new eye contact webcam system... Matt's Mum: I'm never going to have grandchildren am I?

[@blackoutsolidguy6219]

🤣🤣🤣

[@aeasus]

*bellyroll* .. omg that caught me off guard .. funny stuff :)

[@DearValentina]

@DARK APPERITION "Now, we usually see children with a leather exterior, however for this build I decided to go with this carbon fiber vinyl, which I think gives the final product this somewhat futurustic yet smart look."

[@Daniel-zh1si]

This looks like an ordinary dog but actually is my son.

[@garbageman3992]

you see, this table looks like an ordinary table, but inside it is an invisible toolshelf, food processor, blander, led flood light, high powered pc, a monitor, an ar15 standard chambered in 556 ammunition, a fully drivable electric car, and most importantly my child. you see, I have removed the pain of raising a child as when it is not in use it simply folds up into the table and it cant bother you.

[@victoriacollins7646]

I LOVE THIS! I'm not sure I'll make it but I love the options it opens up. I am so amazed by the ideas you have and how to make them. I really hope there's a commercial solution to this soon! I completely agree that I miss eye contact!

[@shakilahmed6870]

me: I will surely make it my brain: but you need a two way mirror me: ok bye

[@imjody]

@Zero Cool naw, you definitely require a two-way mirror for this to work; at least with excellent quality as seen here.

[@danpandapotan]

you can use one way glass film, attached it to any transparent glass

[@EpicBenjo]

@Zero Cool Ok, prove it. Build one and make a video. Then reply here with the link. You have 24 hours.

[@AqEppo]

@@EpicBenjo otherwise what

[@jasexavier]

@Zero Cool is correct, this should work fine, with some slight caveats. First, you'll need a very bright light on you, or a fairly sensitive camera. Ordinary glass reflects about 4% of visible light (a tiny bit more at 45°) so it will be like the camera is seeing you through very dark glasses, between a shade 4 or 5 lens (like one might use for gas welding or cutting, quite a bit darker than the darkest common sunglasses). The mirror will reflect something around 50%, maybe a bit more if you get a nice one. Second, the back surface of the glass will also reflect, in theory another 4%, but that reflection gets attenuated several times, so it's noticeably dimmer. The back surface reflection will be slightly misaligned with the one from the first surface. You'll have a double image, but the double will be faint, and might not show up on the camera. The thinner the sheet, the less offset this will be. I tried with a bit of transparency film, and it worked well, but of course the image was distorted since it's hard to keep such a sheet perfectly flat. A thin sheet stretched very tight on a frame might be an excellent, cheap, and light solution. Last, with such a dim reflection the setup will be very sensitive to *any* light coming through the glass from above, my guess is that you'll want something more light absorbing on the upper surface of the enclosure than just the black cardboard. There are light absorbing paints that would work well, or fabrics like velvet. Otherwise you might have a slight haze on camera from that surface tl;dr It's probably overall easier and cheaper to use clear glass (or plastic) than getting a two-way mirror, but it might have some slight image problems, and won't work well in dim light. A giant prism would be the best, but completely absurd for this purpose.

[@mohamedzewail8907]

I will never make this, but I really appreciate your effort and passion.

[@jpHasABadHandle]

I mean, you could just look at the camera when you're talking.

[@wanpokke]

@@jpHasABadHandle i do this. I find expressions of the person I'm talking to more noticeable when I'm looking at their faces using peripheral vision. I can't quite explain why but it feels the same way how you can make up details from a blurry image by squinting your eyes

[@TheTruthKiwi]

@@wanpokke Interestingly enough we can actually tell distances better with our peripheral vision which is why you can see stars when you don't look directly at them and why we don't need to look at our feet when walking. It is an old evolutionary trait from when we were hunters (and being hunted). Also, because of this if you lose control of your car or a similar situation always look over or past what you're going to crash into and your peripheral vision and brain will try and do the hard the hard work of saving your ass. :)

[@ipixlgaming4045]

Honestly this is the best comment 😂

[@doinggreat9197]

His mother should be immensely proud of him.

[@TheToillMainn]

This is like the Gameboy light accessories we all bought back in the day.

[@diezgp]

Just imagine how much crap this guy has at home. From led lights to cables. It would be nice if he did some home tour someday.

[@ciaranlynch2128]

Its a very small studio he did a setup tour once its tiny

[@Zanroff]

He already made that.

[@fabrisomm]

i'm pretty sure he has a normal car size tire of LED

[@richardwilliamjohnson8566]

You would probably have a heart attack looking at my place then

[@alexbsk09]

It's literally not your or anyone else's business. Someone's home should be private. Content creators need privacy as much as anyone else, so stop asking for home tours.

[@veshengri]

I will absolutely be making this for work calls. That extra bit of personal connection should make a big difference in the quality of my clients' experience working with me! Thank you so much for sharing this clever project!

[@pernpernpern1]

notice how most of the tech youtubers start to grow a beard during lockdown

[@MrBearyMcBearface]

Beards are almost always better.

[@JoeMakaFloe]

*Cough William osman cough*

[@TomaszPlawski]

Either that or doing weird haircuts 💇‍♂️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/eV7YiXSQhch2Zrc 😂

[@sidhantjasrotia220]

Theon greyjoy

[@X4R2]

@@MrBearyMcBearface Well, one has to manage a beard, which takes time. Also, not everyone looks good with a beard.

[@uzeir7082]

This thing is good when you have a class presentation at home.

[@callasky]

Or an interview

[@kiwi1361]

Or both

[@Nathan.Klemstein]

I just use my crappiest web cam and mic and say I can’t help it. Yeah teach I am doing hand motions you just can’t see it

[@eldel5806]

Brilliant! This is something I've struggled with a ton. I've even gone as far as to suspend my webcam in the middle of my screen which is of course effective but definitely not ideal. Looking forward to making one of these bad boys myself. Great job!

[@0Raik]

Great. Just great. Now my girlfriend will tell me every three seconds "my eyes are up here". You destroyed my alibi :(

[@sipa2123]

position the camera to her 'eyes' and you're safe xD

[@motttta]

@@sipa2123 Big fucking brain time

[@ridakesserwan8712]

@@sipa2123 exactly what I was thinking

[@hadiTHEgreat87]

🤣

[@Shifter-1040ST]

If my wife ever said that to me, I'd say to her: "Good, see that you keep them up there, cause I'm not going to collect them from the floor for you, if they happen to fall out."

[@Toxicflu]

Here's my 5 second fix: just make their image into a small window, and move their eyes close to the webcam at the center top of your laptop. Now when you look at them you're looking much closer to your webcam - and they will feel like you're looking into their eyes.

[@pdebie1982]

I've placed a small picture at the top of my screen and I'm talking to that. Easier to look at then directly into the webcam.

[@martywilsonlife]

That's exactly what I do... Ian's idea. Patrick's idea isn't nearly as good. Why? I always want to get a sense of the individual's reaction or thought process via what they are doing with their heads, eyes, mouth, etc. I'd never want to just look into a picture. That being said, if I were to be 'speaking' to dozens or hundreds of people and not looking for any one reaction... then the picture thing would help me maintain good focus with the camera.

[@Jackred94]

Yes, that would work, and I have inadvertently used that tactic. But, you have to admit, what he did is cool.

[@vosabekim]

@@martywilsonlife omg Marty Wilson, Patrick de Bie is just joking, of course no one will want to look at the image of their friend, in this case a friend of Patrick de Bie. Everyone is doing it as Ian Bartczak does. My name is Mike Basov tho

[@darcipeeps]

But you can’t browse the web and pretend to be engaged

[@stopandlisten6070]

"...when you're looking in a mirror, you're always making eye-contact with yourself..." Nah.. I'm too shy...

[@IgorYatskiv]

I'm looking on mouth when talks with others. For any fuzzy reason, I can't handle direct eye contact. Tears starts dropping instantly.

[@PrinceWesterburg]

This is rubbish, what he should have done was what Marvel did and tracked his head, then spent three years building a perfect 3D avatar of himself and moving the virtual camera to where he was looking in the real world, then writing lots of code to control the virtual head in real time and compositing it into a rendered backdrop lit by an HDRI captured live from a 16bit per channel camera looking out of his window - an Arri Amera would do. So that all in all, 4 or 5 years development, hundreds of thousands of pounds of hardware, all to look like he was looking four inches higher than he was. Bargain! :D

[@Masterpeace0_0]

Shoulda start making it!

[@anandsuralkar2947]

Cool

[@VinayanHari]

Apple does this already in FaceTime. Not a joke.

[@sebastianjohansen2142]

FINALLY A COMMENT WELL WORTH MY TIME!!

[@husamtoonisi52]

Dude... you could've made an AI program that moves your eyeballs instead of all that mumble jumble you mentioned 😂

[@piotr803]

Your mom is a really nice lady. I'm sure you are cherishing every minute you spend with her. That's all. Thanks for the vid.

[@ehmzed]

Honestly I've always struggled making eye contact while having conversations, since I only found out that it was a thing a couple of years ago lol, so videocalls, despite making me uncomfortable for other reasons, are nice for me how they are haha. Anyways, this solution is mindblowing, good job explaining it and demonstrating it! Idk if it's worth the work behind it but hey, till they make under-display cameras available on laptops (which might be soon enough since they're already starting to make them on phones!) this is the best option!

[@WarPigstheHun]

I have autism :)

[@XiaZ]

I thought you were gonna make a DIY Tilt-shift lens.

[@arska-pelejavlogejajaautoj5030]

same

[@NathanHaaren]

would be so much cooler

[@giglymeshtalrac]

This is the best DIY Channel on the Internet. Every video has a great subject, high production quality, writing that is very clear and informative, and the host is a dashing man from the UK with an incredibly smooth voice. What's not to love?

[@eliecercamejo1327]

yes, hahah is just he is funny, in the best way!

[@NicMG]

Rocking a beard, looking good dude. Keep it coming. Great content!

[@ThunderStormFortnite]

From the lord of beards, so that's saying something

[@NicMG]

@@ThunderStormFortnite See me as a template of inspiration

[@mikieswart]

Nick MG i am inspired my face, however, is not :(

[@21parks]

Diy Perks 2020- Makes "eye contact webcam" Apple 2021- patents "iContact FaceTime"

[@MegaManNeo]

Well, there are phones with cams built behind the screen already, I hope this becomes common sense with PC and laptop screens in the future tho because people looking like idiots in video calls breaks the whole thing to me ever since.

[@discoguru8363]

Funnily enough Facetime already does this using Augmented Reality. Since iPhone X, Apple has been doing a more complicated hack to make it look like you're maintaining eye contact. Here's the link: www.theverge.com/2019/7/3/20680681/ios-13-beta-3-facetime-attention-correction-eye-contact

[@98ahni]

Apple used an AI to make it look like you were looking straight into the camera. But they turned it way down because people thought it was uncomfortable to have eye contact in a video call. It's still on, it just never makes you look *exactly* at the camera, always a little to the side.

[@josh2763]

If you were to kickstarter this, I'm confident that you could get a lot of backers. This is what the world needs right now. We are unable to connect with people like we used to, and this would really help with that.

[@stonetusk1]

throughout the whole foam box tutorial in the first half of the video, all I had on my mind was why we are making the foam box. I think it would be better to walk through the theory of how this work at the beginning.

[@nasser_almashjary]

Why the dislikes? Really? Matt is a brilliant fellow and he puts his heart and soul into his projects.

[@cjp111]

Probably because almost no one is actually going to make this.

[@obszczymucha1337]

What do you mean so many dislikes? Out of almost 30 thousand people, 97% liked it, and that is a god damn high like ratio for a youtube video.

[@dudo626]

because they.... dislike it? just because you like it doesn't mean everyone else is. and the fact it's good quality content doesn't mean it deserves a like either, just means it's good...

[@Aaron_b_c]

Because it's fake. He's not actually using it in his supposed calls.

[@SantiagoLuz]

Why to bother about it?

[@contactpaulo]

You are great. I´ve just built one following your instructions. I´ve used wood covered by a tiny foam board to make it stronger and windproof (stable). It is not going to be moved around anyway. Works great. Many thanks!!!

[@faizfrez2729]

This is definitely going to help with online interviews!

[@dudepersonvids]

I've been thinking about how to design a solution to the eye contact problem - but of course, a sort of reverse teleprompter! Ingenious.

[@sean.sullivan]

I feel like you could turn this into some kind of adjustable kit and make millions right now.

[@abd4620]

Copy paste this comment to every one of his videos and it'd still be valid

[@BlipStudios]

it's been done...it's called centercam. Not sure if it's available to all yet but it's much simpler.

[@markturner7459]

@@BlipStudios Bit distracting though with the camera on a rod on the middle of the screen....

[@RuuDBoY868]

Or manufacturers should start doing like cell phones and install the camera behind the screen..though i would feel iffy about that myself lol

[@tsetendorjee9040]

This is a best of the show for making teleprompter for us and thank you very much!!!

[@MobiusHorizons]

That's really cool. I have thought about trying to do this from software, but this is probably much better, since it uses optics instead of warping the image. I think the primary downside in my opinion is that you can't reach the keyboard easily. On my work calls I'm constantly muting / unmuting myself in order to interact with people. Although in that case it is for group calls, so I'm not sure how well this would work.

[@TheOnlyTominator]

That's clever, and I like the way you use readily-available materials and simple skills.

[@Advexen]

Video starts: "I think he has finally lost it" Reveals Cam: "Ohhhhhhhhhh, but what about desktop?"

[@AltonV]

If you have a monitor that can tilt back it's the same principle

[@AskforQAli]

@@AltonV some people just don't like to think outside the box.

[@vasilisipsilantis6501]

the same method but to the monitor the hard is to find qood cam for old latrops and make the usb conenct it eorks tin to very bsd resolutions!!!!

[@NurulArifin49]

Can't wait to see "in display camera" technology to be applied. It will change the way we see the camera. Because we don't even see where the camera is.

[@DanAtmaja]

It could be a security issue though. Some hacker can hack your webcam without you even knowing it, which usually can be rectified by covering your webcam with tape or something. If your webcam is under your screen, well, you're going to cover the screen too, which isn't ideal.

[@voxelfusion9894]

@@DanAtmaja really just need a physical kill switch that disconnects these 4 tiny wires. That's all it takes for webcams to not activate on their own, 100%.

[@westxtsew]

Unfortunately on smartphones for instance. Even the prototype under display cameras, remain at the top of the screen due to the screen shutting off to become transparent to the lens.

[@Hellsong89]

Pretty horrible actually and being integrated if ether one brakes, you will be buying much more expensive screen cause you cant separate the two. Also probably has integrated wiring loom, so adding on off switch will be pain in the ass, top of taking normal laptop apart and adding said switch so its physically impossible for anyone to hack into machine and enable webcam and mic, what can be done from software with out your knowledge, hence why physical switch what requires hacker to have physical contact with the machine. Also this prevents any software spying on you, for instance what i hear Discord will always be listening and specially in China reporting any anti-revolutionary/anti-CCP conversations to CCP that sends few officials to fetch you.. and you might not come back home. Of course companies like Google are making profit from you as well....

[@DanAtmaja]

@@voxelfusion9894 Yeah, I remember some laptop has a switch to physically disable the webcam. Some laptop also uses "janky" method where they have a built in cover to cover the webcam

[@jonathanfox5]

If you can't get the webcam to work there may be an additional step that you need to take. Most webcams run at 3.3V but USB provides 5V. Some will be fine with this but others (like mine which was pulled from a Dell Inspiron) will shut themselves off as soon as you try to pull video from them. A quick and dirty way of stepping the voltage down is to stick two diodes in between between the 5V line of the USB cable and the power wire on the camera instead of soldering them directly together. The cathode end of the diodes (the stripe that's on the diode casing) should point towards the camera end. i.e: USB cable 5V Line ---> Diode (stripe this side) ---> Diode (stripe this side) ---> Power wire on the webcam. I used 1N4001 diodes since I had them for another project and are designed to carry up to 1A of current. If that doesn't make any sense, you can find a diagram by googling for "hackaday 110436". That will bring up a project that explains it further. Thanks for the great video!

[@arthemis1039]

This makes me want to make it on a dedicated Raspeberry Pi as a "call-station", with that bulky screen giving it a retro CRT look !

[@dfgdfg_]

do it!

[@VirtualTurtleGames]

This guy is a damn genius, I swear! Always creating just the things we need, but didn't know we needed :)

[@markusreddich4380]

When it comes to electronics, i always find it a little difficult. But this device helps enormously in online conversations and brings points of sympathy with the other person. Very helpful and practical thoughts. Thx for that.

[@patchstep]

in conversation, to show interest you can actually look at people's mouths. this makes it look like you're actually valuing what they're saying more. while using webcams, this actually is a natural side effect of the camera being placed slightly above the screen, hence why it doesn't feel completely unnatural to videochat.

[@codeman99-dev]

Right. If you don't like your laptop, switch to your phone. Mostly because the phone's camera is generally better at focusing and allow for more variety in distance.

[@matthewcochran619]

looking at someone's mouth will imply intimacy or attraction

[@icewater7586]

The last time I was this early, my laptop didn't have a hole drilled into it

[@aadaman]

Fuck it, I’ll ask. What happened?

[@izzieb]

When I said I wanted you to drill me on Discord, that's not what I meant.

[@icewater7586]

@@aadaman I tried his recycling DIY and drilled the screen into a piece of wood, literally.

[@runankaroy2687]

This person is absolutely brilliant. Always brings a totally new idea out of thin air.

[@MustafaAlQallaf]

8:15 🔥 WOW that is really working , I'd never thought eye contact is that important .

[@RohitBanerjee]

Hey Matt, wonderful initiative as always. I have been "trying" to build my own DIY teleprompter with the same concept and components (in fact that's exactly what you have built as well). However, I always keep getting stuck at acquiring a two way mirror, especially one that's acrylic. I believe the technical name for such two way mirror is "beam-splitter" which usually has its refractive and reflective ratio specified in percentage ranges of 50-50, 60-40, and 70-30. In India I have tried to source them locally for individual quantity, but have failed. Even in other platforms for imports from other countries, the minimum quantity requirements is either highly prohibitive (the lowest I have seen is 30 sheets of 10' × 6') or extremely expensive for DIY projects. And that too, all glass base. However, when I saw your project used an acrylic based beam-splitter, I raised my hopes high again. However, all was for naught, since the Amazon link you've provided in the description doesn't lead anywhere specific for the exact product available in India. If you'd be kind enough to perhaps specify the exact details of the product, or even point out potential suppliers for the same, I'd be very grateful. Keep up the great work, and please send my regards to your mum!

[@olavkarlsson6430]

This is brilliant! I'm working as a psychologist and we do a lot of patient meetings through the internet. I've been bothered by the fact that it appears like I'm looking down instead of at the clients face during the calls. It feels like I'm not fullt conecting with the clients. This is one solution to this problem.

[@bluetech2809]

awkward moment when his mum also looks like she's looking at me despite not doing this massive project I've just spent 10 minutes watching.

[@jimbobur]

This is about as practical and easy to make as a chocolate teapot.

[@ulriktnnesen5987]

Love your expression, I will be burrowing this for future use :)

[@gagne6928]

Thats why he calls it a weird mod lol

[@truheo1]

Been building my Teleprompter when I ran into your video. Very impressive. Simple and less bulk than the teleprompter, the camera, the tripod and black drape. Get it patented maybe with foldable plastic a lightweight acrylic mirror. I'd buy one

[@Captain_Coleslaw]

"When we talk to each other, we look each other in the eyes" Meanwhile me: Literally cant look at someone else's eyes for more than 5 seconds at a time

[@yunusalih]

I feel realy uncomfortable if i look more than 5 secs even with my best friends or relatives.

[@Lectrikfro]

Yeah, I don't like eye contact. I will stare intensely directly into my webcam during skype meetings so I don't have to look at the speaker

[@nikitaelizarov7444]

I look wherever I want but I still can't wrap my head around why would we need the system for more intimate video calls in the world where voice calls are considered too intrusive-and deservedly so. My best friend video called me on my BD, and I was like 'WTF are you doing? Did you forget how to text?"

[@pranavjohn2571]

I feel really uncomfortable after three

[@chinashorts1491]

Yeah, this setup does create sustained eye contact.

[@_EDDE_]

👍Thank you, Matt!!! This is amazing! Your channel and content and music and voice and quality are all so calming spot-on and very very informative and above all delightfully entertaining! 🤗

[@ReplicateReality]

You were the reason I figured out how to use my old laptops webcam, thats how I found your channel and ive been hooked ever since

[@mrcolo.]

Perfect for my school exams! thank you man ahah

[@Rihards_Gold]

Kills teacher just by staring

[@sarkoncovasko5239]

Good thing you told me you were joking. I'd have never known otherwise

[@qalyoube5750]

I felt her sadness when she found out that he just called to test his camera

[@Steffan1970]

lol

[@misterbonzoid5623]

Underrated comment.

[@Steffan1970]

@@misterbonzoid5623 i dont care ... just pissed myself reading that comment and thats what i did: loughing out loud (I hope THIS is long enough to be rated) ^^

[@thedanyesful]

This is really good. It makes video calls 100% better. I always wondered why video calling never really took off, and I think you've hit on it.

[@kamo7293]

there have been prototype phones coming out with under screen cameras, mostly to remove the horrible notch/hole punch that modern phones have. the cool thing about those is is that once properly implemented, they could go wherever on the screen, even in the middle of the screen where we look during voice chat. and if something like that came to laptops, then we'd be able to maintain eye contact naturally

[@yashwinning]

Imagine DIY Perks pulling this out in public just so he can stare a blocky low res person in the eyes lmao

[@lightandcolour]

I admire you creativity and workmanship. Congratulations.

[@icydragon68]

Basically how the autocue works. I got a tip. Just record yourself and play that in your meeting so you don’t have to pay attention to it while your recorded head attending the meeting

[@baritone777]

I can't stop staring at HIS beautiful eyes...

[@kimsmith9257]

Matt, you are a true delight to watch. Great on-line personality!

[@pcgamerftw821]

Everything is "not difficult " for this guy 😅

[@mar4kl]

The eye-contact conversation system struck me as a solution to a problem I didn't know I had. However, I really want to thank you for showing how to make an enclosure for a webcam repurposed from an old laptop! About a month ago, a client of mine called with a problem: Her laptop's webcam had stopped working, the store where she bought her laptop couldn't do a warranty exchange due to COVID-19 protocols being followed here, and, also due to COVID-19, it was next to impossible to buy a webcam. I followed your DIY home security video to make a working USB (video-only) webcam for her, but I could not find any simple ideas for creating an enclosure or stand for the webcam. I came up with a rough-looking enclosure made from a couple strips of coroplast left over from another project, and used a couple of clothespins for a makeshift stand, but it doesn't look at all elegant, and it's not very sturdy. Your foamboard enclosure and washer idea is much nicer! That said, here are two ideas for future videos: 1) Add a stand to that foamboard webcam enclosure, and 2) Show how to hook up the webcam's microphone. As always, I enjoy your videos.

[@darrenmooruthv2]

Super cool, great video... doubles as a teleprompter reading directly from the screen. Thanks Matt. Darren - Coventry, UK.

[@jorgecardoso5863]

- Beard appears: Captains America and avengers theme intensifies

[@PHlophe]

Jorge you are louco lol!

[@Qimchiy]

Captain Britain