--- 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 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 --- # Search, camera and augmented reality id: phone-flashlight--family-camera type: mechanic key: mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-camera lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-camera/ The camera observes a scene lit by the phone LED. WildLight uses these images for reconstruction; flash and autoexposure affect the result. ## At a glance ![WildLight: input images without and with the flashlight](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/flash-wildlight.webp) [WildLight (research prototype)](https://junxuan-li.github.io/wildlight-website/) · © Ziang Cheng, Junxuan Li, Hongdong Li. Author-distributed research figure; respective rights retained. Excluded from portal MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. The right input image was captured with the flashlight on - Synchronize capture with the LED; nearby reflections can obscure the target. - [WildLight (research prototype)](https://junxuan-li.github.io/wildlight-website/) ## How it works The camera observes the scene; a flashlight helps illuminate it or becomes part of the rule. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. ## Context and limits 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. ## Connected materials ## Sources and 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. - [WildLight (research prototype)](https://junxuan-li.github.io/wildlight-website/) (id: source-486438ca6bfacdc6) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors