My friend has a new Canon digital point and shoot camera. When you are viewing pictures and you rotate the camera, it automatically changes the LCD orientation so that you're viewing the photo the right way.
I keep telling him that there has to be some sort of bubble inside which senses the orientation? Am I right?
What other electromechanical interface could possibly let the camera know its own orientation? I believe this is called an orientation sensor (really, I'm not kidding). There are a lot of cameras that have this for both rotating the picture on playback or in shooting mode.
I don't know the mechanics of how it works though, for all I know there MIGHT be a bubble in there. But I doubt it; if there was, it sure would make me lose faith in a whole lot of technology. A mercury switch or the itty-bitty silicone version of one. Magnets?
Pinball machines actually used a metal ball that made contact with wires for the "tilt" mechanism.
Updated
------------------
I should have qualified that. "some" digital camera have it.
I don't think that most do. I've heard of them, but never seen one... | 