News of this neat gadget actually arrived as a footnote to the press release for the WX1 and TX1 cameras, but I thought it was too cool to get buried and deserved a post of its own.

The IPT-DS1 is an optional accessory for the aforementioned cameras. It’s a motorised base that automatically pans and tilts to cover the room. It controls the camera using the automatic face detection and smile detection features to take photos automatically – the idea is that it is constantly on the lookout for the sort of “happy smiling people” shots people love to take at parties, leaving you free to enjoy the evening.

The only downside is it may be a little disturbing to have a robot camera tracking you around the room…