DIY iPhone Accessory Captures Incredible Footage
Wildlife enthusiasts take note: getting amazing close-up footage need not be an expensive or life-threatening endeavor. Using a cheap mirror, an iPhone and foam weather tape, Mark B. Rober captured amazing close-up footage of orangutans at his local zoo.
A NASA engineer by trade, his invention is as clever as it is simple. His idea came to him when he was visiting the Los Angeles Zoo and he observed the extreme lengths people were going to in an attempt to get the attention of the lounging primates. Huddled in the back of the enclosure, the orangutans appeared to be oblivious to the endless parade of higher level primates. Rober concluded that the sight of humans simply bored them and wondered if perhaps they would be more interested in seeing another primate.
Rober devised a clever accessory for his iPhone. He purchased a $3 mirror tile at Home Depot and carefully drilled a small hole in the center of it. To make the sides safer to handle he added a foam tape frame. His last step was securing the iPhone to the back of the mirror so that the camera lined up with hole he had drilled in the mirror. When holding the mirror up to the exhibit glass the results were nothing less than breathtaking. In the video, a mother orangutan spies the mirror and comes over for a closer look. Just inches from the mirror, her eyes study the reflection in the mirror intently. She then goes back and retrieves her baby, and tenderly shows her the mirror as the iPhone camera records every detail. As the mother and baby move away, the father orangutan comes over to see what the mirror holds. The video is so clear and focused that the viewer can clearly see his pupil constrict in the light. If the video above does not show please click here. This is footage that nature enthusiasts wait a lifetime for, and Rober is happy to show the world how he built the iPhone mirror accessory on another YouTube video. If the video does not play please click here. In a fun twist, Rober also used his mirror device on people. However, the results are not as endearing as the reaction of the orangutans. You might notice that Rober has referred to the orangutans in his YouTube videos as gorillas. We are willing to cut him some slack on this, after all, brilliant minds are not always well-versed in primate species. Besides, we think his invention sounds even cooler as a "Gorilla Cam" than an "Orangutan Cam." We would love to see how other wildlife reacts to Rober's mirror iPhone accessory. Are you tempted to create your own wildlife camera mirror?
