Amélie (2023)

Amélie is a unique selfie printer that produces instant photos on cheap thermal paper, reminiscent of vintage instant photos. Users can remove the print and take it home as a keepsake. Over time, the print fades, leaving behind a white piece of paper. This installation, named after the 2001 movie of the same name, cleverly combines the simplicity of a receipt printer with the uniqueness of the captured moment.

The components are housed within a transparent plexiglass panel, allowing viewers to observe the various modules that contribute to the installation.

The system runs on a Raspberry Pi 4, powered by a Raspberry Pi Camera Module V3, a thermal receipt printer, a screen, a camera, and a button with an LED ring. Upon pressing the button, the LED ring starts flashing, and a countdown appears on the screen. Once the countdown reaches zero, the camera captures a photo, which is then instantly printed.

Optionally, users can add a small illustration or text segment above or below the photo. For New Year's Eve, the installation randomly selects a fortune cookie saying from a large list and prints it beneath the photo, accompanied by a prediction for the year ahead.

The original versions of Amélie were built in 2018 using a Raspberry Pi 3 B+, an Adafruit Mini Thermal Receipt Printer, a Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2, a small Pi monitor, various buttons, and cables. The code was written in Python with the OpenCV Library. Version 2 featured a shoebox enclosure with a status LED and additional functionality, such as saving all images to a USB thumb drive and altering the configuration through a config file.

Version 3, built in 2023, utilizes the Raspberry Pi Camera Module V3, enabling faster live preview, autofocus, and better exposure measurement. Additionally, it boasts a sleek button with an LED ring and is seamlessly integrated into a plexiglass panel. The source code and parts list for version 3 can be accessed on GitHub.