In a world where everyone is taking pictures over and over again, two guys from New York decided to do the opposite. Kelin Zhang e Ryan Mather they created a very special camera that does not print images, but poems. It is the Poetry Camera, an object that seems to have come from an analogue past, but which hides a decidedly contemporary technology under the hood.
This curious invention is built entirely by hand in a small laboratory, following the spirit of microfactories. It does not use film, has no digital display and, above all, does not retain any image. All that remains is a poem printed on thermal paper: short, evocative and unique. Is it trite if I say that this stuff has something poetic? I guess so.
How does a poetry machine work?
The magic behind the Poetry Camera is all digital, even if the result is romantic and nostalgic. The camera is equipped with a lens that carefully observes its surroundings and, thanks to artificial intelligence Claudia 4 by Anthropic, interprets the scene by translating it into words. The user can decide with a simple knob what type of poetry to print: haiku, sonnet, free verse, etc.
There are no digital archives or clouds, an intentional choice to ensure privacy and make each poem truly unique. On the official Poetry Camera website, Zhang and Mather state it clearly:
“We want to avoid the anxiety and pressure that comes with posing for a photo. No images are saved, ensuring the greatest possible privacy.”
Democratic (and customizable) technology
Behind the simple appearance of the Poetry Camera there is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W has always been Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3. Everything else is software, available open source. Zhang and Mather wanted their project to be open and accessible: anyone can modify the prompts, change the AI’s behavior, or even build their own version of the device from scratch.
There are in fact two variants of the poetic camera: the complete, refined and elegant one, sold for 699 dollars with shipping expected from September 2025 (it's fine where it is), and a DIY version for those who want to experiment with do-it-yourself electronics. On their GitHub portal You can find everything you need to assemble a home Poetry Camera using inexpensive components that can be easily purchased online.
Poems, Wi-Fi and Limits to Overcome
The only flaw of the poetic machine (I forgot) is the fact that it must be connected to a Wi-Fi network. The artificial intelligence that generates the texts works via a remote connection, so without a network you cannot compose poems. Zhang and Mather, aware of this limitation, are looking for technical solutions to make the device completely autonomous and independent from the connection.
Despite this, the Poetry Camera remains an object capable of surprising precisely because it challenges digital habits. It does not seek likes, does not crowd the cloud, does not store anything except a small fragment of paper with words that last longer than a photo.
A poetic pause in a hyper-photographed world
The Poetry Camera is not just a gadget: it is a message. In an age obsessed with instant images, Zhang and Mather have chosen to focus on the evocative power of words. Their creation suggests stopping, observing the world through less hurried eyes, letting a machine, for once, teach us the art of slowing down.
A poem printed on paper is as ephemeral as a snapshot, but perhaps more capable of capturing the emotion hidden behind the daily rush. And it is precisely in this silent rebellion against the culture of selfies and frenetic sharing that the Poetry Camera finds its strength. Is it clear that I like it? :)
