Some of us--and by "us" I mean "you" and certainly not me--only look good on camera when the lighting conditions are just right. Modern life demands a constant stream of selfies, which creates problems for the photogenically challenged.
Thankfully, there is now the Halo, an invention by MIT doctoral student Nan Zhao. The Contemporist says that it's "like adding a real life filter to your selfies." The Halo is a lighted aluminum frame that is strapped to your torso. When activated, it gently illuminates your facial features, creating the ideal visual mood for a selfie that makes you look thoughtful and intelligent.
The Halo is an impressively adaptable tool, suitable for different occasions. Zhao writes:
Halo is pre-programmed with a range of lighting compositions. Referring to theater and photography, we designed patterns to make the user appear happy, sad, angry, anxious, evil, passionate, etc. Using the mobile app the user can choose from a list of presets. She can also design her own patterns. Instead of defining brightness and color for each LED, using our software she can place virtual light sources into the space around the halo. This way she can easily define a key light or a fill light. The corresponding LED setting is then generated automatically. As you can see in the video even if the user does not move, facial expression seems to change with the transition of the lights.
-via ClarkHat