New York, NY—Impossible, which bought the last factory manufacturing Polaroid film in 2008 to save analog instant photography from extinction, is now marketing the first in its line of instant photography hardware that turns smartphone pictures into instant photos—the Impossible Instant Lab.
The device was designed to build a bridge between digital and analog instant photography. Via an iPhone, it can transform any digital image into an instant photograph that, no longer confined to a screen, can be shared and displayed.
As with an instant camera, the image is exposed “naturally”; users select an image on a phone, place the iPhone in the cradle and slide open the shutter on the base. A signal tells them when the exposure is finished. Once the shutter is closed, they can push a button and the Instant Lab ejects the instant film, ready to develop in the palm of a hand.
At the heart of the Instant Lab is Impossible’s new Impossible FPU (film processing unit) that processes and develops the newest generation of Impossible color and B&W film. Unlike classic Polaroid hardware, the Impossible FPU is engineered with an ecological rechargeable battery, allowing the use of the new Impossible film that doesn’t contain a battery.
“Our new FPU is the basis of a future range of more exciting and exacting analog instant instruments,” said Dr. Florian Kaps, Impossible’s founder. “The Impossible FPU was developed by the Impossible R&D team in partnership with DHW, based in the former Rollei Factory in Braunschweig, Germany.”
The launch of the Instant Lab coincides with the release of an official Impossible Project app for iOS. As well as enabling users to transform their digital photos into analog photographs with the Instant Lab, the app provides a platform for scanning, uploading and sharing those analog instant photos. Supporting a variety of social media, the Impossible Project app encourages photographers to share their instant photographs while building an international community for analog instant photography lovers.
The Impossible Project app, available August 29, will also feature an online store stocked with instant film. the-impossible-project.com
