Polaroid's Moto Mod: Instant Photos, Amazing Science

Eighty years ago, a company called Polaroid sprouted from a garage not far from the current location of the MrMobile studio. The company’s founder soon developed a special polarization technology that was rapidly adopted across a slew of products ranging from desk lamps to sunglasses. That work later led to military contracts including pilot goggles, spy satellites, and a special synthetic quinine for treating malaria in troops serving in tropical regions. While that last bit sounds out of character for a company specializing in optical science, it isn’t: quinine has photosensitive properties that make it useful for photography. Over the next 40 years that’s where Polaroid built its empire: with instant cameras that didn’t need a darkroom to develop their film.

Flash forward to 2017. The new Polaroid Moto Mod (or Polaroid Insta-Share Printer, to be precise) doesn’t use any of the technology mentioned above. What’s more, the “Polaroid” brand on its backside has been bought and sold so many times it’s almost meaningless today. But two things tie this mobile printer to it roots: it still produces instant photos you can hold, and it uses technology that got its start inside Polaroid Corporation to do it. Join me for a look at the latest Moto Mod for Moto Z smartphones, a new take on the old “instant camera,” the Polaroid Insta-Share Printer!

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 12/14/17