Show HN: Wall-mounted diffusion mirror that turns reflections into paintings

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reaction

  • Many commenters find the diffusion “mirror” delightful and would like one at home or in public spaces.
  • Some see the low frame rate and instability as part of its charm; others view them as technical shortcomings.

Frame rate, visual style, and interaction

  • Debate over framerate:
    • Some argue for higher FPS via morphing, crossfades, interpolation, or batching to reduce “popping.”
    • Others say low update rates (seconds to minutes) suit art better, giving time to appreciate each image and saving energy.
  • Suggestions include:
    • Transitional effects between images.
    • Freezing or saving particularly good frames (e.g., for avatars or lockscreens).
    • Using it more like a slow “capture once, display until next shot” device, which would no longer be a literal mirror.

Architecture, performance, hardware, and privacy

  • Technical tips:
    • Use binary WebSocket payloads instead of base64; possibly send raw RGB instead of JPEG.
    • Cache text embeddings; consider img‑to‑img fine‑tuning and models like SDXL Turbo/Lightning.
    • Queue frames and batch processing as in StreamDiffusion.
  • Hardware discussions:
    • Raspberry Pi vs Jetson Nano vs running locally on GPUs.
    • Alternatives like e‑ink displays for low power, and using old tablets as cheaper displays.
  • Strong concern about streaming webcam feeds to third‑party cloud GPUs; several want everything local, ideally in-frame.
  • Some wonder about hardware accelerators (e.g., Coral), but note incompatibilities with common image models.
  • Infrared camera/light is used for working in the dark and adds a wand‑like interaction mode.

Art, skill, and authorship

  • Some claim the installation as a whole is the true artwork; the individual AI frames are “output,” not art.
  • Disagreement over whether art is mainly:
    • “Surfacing the inner world” vs.
    • Intentional, skilled craft vs.
    • Evoking or preserving emotion vs.
    • Practice and process over tools.
  • Several argue that AI lowers barriers for people with ideas but limited skill; others insist the skill‑building journey is essential and irreplaceable.
  • Some view this device as “dynamic/immersive art” or “wallpaper,” not deep psychological expression.

Extensions and alternative concepts

  • Ideas floated:
    • Virtual camera feed for video calls.
    • Sentiment/toxicity‑driven transformations (e.g., Dorian Gray effect).
    • Networking multiple frames so viewers see strangers through the style transform (“art chat roulette”).
    • Moving the camera elsewhere, or into other homes, to decouple “mirror” from self‑reflection.
    • Occasional playful or eerie inpainting (e.g., figures behind the viewer).