The creators of Bird Buddy unveiled a new series of products under new “Wonder” branding, including an AI-powered nature camera, Petal, that mimics a flower to get close-up shots of nectar-loving birds and insects.
Petal is a new circular “biomorphic” camera that can wrap around branches — like a vine — or attach a flexible stem to be placed in a flower pot or garden. A solar panel similar in shape to a leaf powers the Petal camera. Beyond standing upright in a garden or flower pot and wrapping around things like branches, another attachment allows people to hang their Petal camera off a tree or pole to shoot straight down onto a terrarium or plant, perfect for watching bugs crawling around.
Alongside the Wonder Petal, Bird Buddy announced Wonder Blocks, a modular set of blocks and products to help attract photographic subjects like butterflies. Beyond the pots is a dedicated Butterfly Feeder to provide butterflies a place to “rest and recharge,” a terrarium, a bee hotel, a seed tray, and a bug hotel.
The Petal sports a 12-megapixel camera that records 4K video, up from the 5-megapixel sensor on the most recent Bird Buddy that records up to 2K resolution video.
The Petal also has a unique trick up its sleeve, though: swappable lenses. Users can swap between wide-angle and telephoto lenses depending on the photos and videos they want to capture. The different modules screw onto the Petal, making changing focal lengths a breeze.
Like the Bird Buddy, the Petal will include AI features and connect to a smartphone app. Users can monitor the Petal camera live from their phones and remotely capture photos and videos to share with friends.
The app can keep track of birds and insects seen by the camera, help users identify the species, and even has an AI chatbot that provides information about animals, insects, and the person’s garden.
“With our new products under a different brand name, Wonder, we are able to go beyond birds to reveal the marvelous secret life of nature hiding in plain sight,” says Franci Zidar, CEO of Wonder. “Through Petal and Wonder Blocks we can use creative technology to spark curiosity and the joy of discovery, inviting people to connect and experience the natural world as it truly is, a place that is buzzing and enchanting.”
Pricing and Availability
The Wonder Petal and Wonder Blocks will be available first on Kickstarter this spring. Pricing has not yet been announced.
Image credits: Bird Buddy / Wonder