November 23, 2012
12 Year Old Uses Raspberry Pi Computer To Create Time Lapse Camera
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online
An adolescent has found a way to turn a Raspberry Pi computer into a time-lapse camera, earning him a $1,000 cash prize.Aaron Hill, a 12-year-old boy, wrote a piece of software called PySnap to take first prize in the 13 and under category of the Raspberry Pi summer coding contest.
The software allows Pi owners to connect a USB camera to the device and fine-tune the interval at which it takes pictures.
The Raspberry Pi is a tiny computer, about the size of a credit card, that was created to help young people get started with programming.
The contest was run by the foundation behind the small, fully working computer, and it was intended to find the best young programmers working with the Raspberry Pi. The contest was split into two categories: 13 and under, and 14 to 18.
Community manager Liz Upton wrote in the Raspberry Pi blog that PySnap was "well thought out and designed."
"Aaron´s entry was a great example of what you can do using Python on a Raspberry Pi," Uptown wrote. "His PySnap program allows you to easily set-up automatic time-lapse photography using a USB webcam."
The runner up prizes of $200 went to two other programs, including one that made it easier to control more devices through the Pi, and another that was a text-based world simulator.
Ashley Newson, 17 won the prize for the 14 to 18 category with her software SmartSim. This software is a digital circuit and simulation package for the Pi.
The runners up for the older category included a game called Neutron Craft, and a web server called Pancake.