{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-camera","type":"mechanic","id":"phone-flashlight--family-camera","lang":"en","title":"Search, camera and augmented reality","summary":"The camera observes a scene lit by the phone LED. WildLight uses these images for reconstruction; flash and autoexposure affect the result.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-camera/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-camera.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-camera.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Phone flashlight interactions","Mechanics catalog"],"sourceIds":["source-486438ca6bfacdc6"],"sources":[{"id":"source-486438ca6bfacdc6","title":"WildLight (research prototype)","url":"https://junxuan-li.github.io/wildlight-website/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The camera observes the scene; a flashlight helps illuminate it or becomes part of the rule."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-camera-variants\"></a>\n\n- Illuminated mark. Action: Find and recognize a printed mark when the light is on. Application: Opening content for an item, home quest, museum card. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Camera and proprietary image analysis. Conditions: The tag is read by the camera; Turning on the light does not in itself prove that the beam hit. <a id=\"variant-51\"></a>\n- Inspection of an object by recognition. Action: Point the camera at the prepared class of objects. Application: Collection catalog, educational object hunt, game inventory. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Camera and proprietary image analysis. Conditions: Recognition and testing on target objects are required; The flashlight does not recognize materials. <a id=\"variant-52\"></a>\n- Comparison “lights off/on.” Action: Compare two frames of an almost motionless scene. Application: Find a changed area, evaluate the contribution of the backlight, experiment. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Camera and proprietary image analysis. Conditions: Autoexposure and motion distort the difference; need stabilization and control of parameters. <a id=\"variant-53\"></a>\n- Search by reflection. Action: Use the camera to notice the light response of the prepared object. Application: Find a reflective mark among ordinary ones, localize the target. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Camera and proprietary image analysis; Prepared props or external sensor. Conditions: The algorithm distinguishes the prepared response, and not any valuable or metal object. <a id=\"variant-54\"></a>\n- Stacked sight. Action: Hold the recognized object in the frame when the LED is on. Application: “Scan” evidence, register a find, read a game sample. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Camera and proprietary image analysis; Software game rule. Conditions: Accumulation is the rule of the game; the real content of an object is not measured this way. <a id=\"variant-55\"></a>\n- Traces visible only in the application. Action: Show virtual markers when the flashlight is active and the camera is pointed at the area. Application: AR detective, ghost hunting, hidden inscriptions. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Camera and spatial tracking; Software game rule. Conditions: Traces are drawn by the application; white LED does not show random invisible ink. <a id=\"variant-56\"></a>\n- Map of surveyed areas. Action: Mark areas where the player pointed the camera with the flashlight on. Application: Search for missed points, explore a virtual room. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Camera and spatial tracking; Software game rule. Conditions: Tracking evaluates the view and does not guarantee actual coverage of each area. <a id=\"variant-57\"></a>\n- Photo as confirmation. Action: After illumination, take a shot with the desired object or composition. Application: Photo hunt, proof of completion of a quest, collection of finds. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Camera and proprietary image analysis. Conditions: You need a way to check the frame: person, tag or recognition; Photo storage is not necessary. <a id=\"variant-58\"></a>\n- Glowing beacon in the frame. Action: Observe the LED as a conspicuous point with another camera. Application: Simple light guidance, prop tracking, signal laboratory. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Camera and proprietary image analysis; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough. Conditions: One point provides limited data; flare, overlap and background interfere with tracking. <a id=\"variant-59\"></a>\n- Several angles under different light. Action: Shoot a stationary object while moving the source. Application: Texture research, art documentation, relief restoration prototype. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Camera and proprietary image analysis; Prepared props or external sensor; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough. Conditions: Accurate shape restoration requires calibration and algorithm; telephone light not ready 3D scanner. <a id=\"variant-60\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"phone-flashlight","id":"family-camera","title":"Phone flashlight interactions","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-flashlight/#family-camera","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Search, camera and augmented reality","description":"The camera observes a scene lit by the phone LED. WildLight uses these images for reconstruction; flash and autoexposure affect the result.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/flash-wildlight.webp","width":1440,"height":387,"crop":{"x":0,"y":0,"width":568,"height":266},"game":"WildLight (research prototype)","sourceUrl":"https://junxuan-li.github.io/wildlight-website/","originalUrl":"https://junxuan-li.github.io/wildlight-website/static/images/teaser.jpg","credit":"Ziang Cheng, Junxuan Li, Hongdong Li","rights":"© Ziang Cheng, Junxuan Li, Hongdong Li. Author-distributed research figure; respective rights retained. Excluded from portal MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"WildLight: input images without and with the flashlight","alt":"WildLight: input images without and with the flashlight","markers":[{"x":29,"y":24,"label":"The right input image was captured with the flashlight on"}]},"tips":["Synchronize capture with the LED; nearby reflections can obscure the target."],"examples":[{"title":"WildLight (research prototype)","url":"https://junxuan-li.github.io/wildlight-website/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/phone-flashlight"}}