This traffic camera blends in with its surroundings: camouflage in plain sight. | Hacker News Reader

This traffic camera blends in with its surroundings: camouflage in plain sight.

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17 pointspavel_lishin15 comments

Imagine if they get a camera like this to fly to where it's needed. And peck at random, invisible bits of food. All the crazy people saying the birds were watching them would have to be re-evaluated.

I always wondered if you could put a circuit near your license plate that detects a flash and sets off its own flash to over-expose the image.

It might help at night at least. What do you folks think?

I think so. That tech exists in the photo world.

Alternatively, you could cover your plate with a hyper reflective coating which would likewise overexpose the plate.

I think that exists as a spray. Basically a clear coat, but highly reflective.

I don't know if this one is legit, but I've heard of at least one brand that is. http://www.photoblocker.com/

I think the problem with this sort of scheme is field testing. Short of getting hold of a traffic camera (which sounds difficult), a meaningful test invokes breaking the law with all the attendant problems.

edit: traffic camera, not speed camera.

Luckily (California at least) law states that there have to be posted signs within 300 yards of a traffic camera :D

Most cities have to put up a list of camera controlled intersections on the internet.

Legislators looking after themselves, most likely. I remember back in the early Pleistocene era when I lived there that the CHP was forbidden to use radar (legislators needed to be able to speed back to Sacramento).

If my neighborhood were abused by pink-light violators, I might be tempted to post fake signs warning of a traffic camera. </confession>

Seems unlikely those teensy infrared LEDs are going to light up my license plate. At least here in DC, there's a giant flashbulb type thing that goes off.

Brilliantly evil.

It seems it will catch people in order to raise revenue but not stop people from initially thinking twice about running that particular intersection and maybe saving a life.

Until these become so widespread that drivers think twice every time they see a bird on a wire...

Ah, just what I always wanted... living in constant fear that my government is watching me.

If it helps, it is probably watching the rest of us as well - even though its not even our government. :-)

There was a fun case recently where tickets caught by the camera got thrown out because it was shown that the yellow lasted a time below that mandated by law. This problem is believed to be fairly widespread, and demonstrates very clearly how improving the revenue gathering aspect of this takes priority over actual safety.

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