Japan’s Selfie Stands

Picture this (bad pun intended): You’re traveling or sightseeing, be it alone or with a group, and you come across beautiful scenery, rolling hills, a crystal blue ocean or a city ablaze with lights. The only problem is figuring out how to fit yourself and possibly others in front of this majestic backdrop when you can only stretch your camera in front of you as far as your arm will allow.

Luckily, Japan came up with a solution to this common conundrum in the form of selfie stands, more or less a 21st-century tripod. The camera platform, designed by the Sunpole Corporation, is designed with smartphones in mind. These stands allow tourists to snap selfies and group photos without any of those awkward arm maneuvers. The stand can rotate at 360 degrees, installed at just the right height and distance to take a nice and cozy group photo. The stand can accommodate any type of camera and even has a slot to hold smartphones upright.

While this invention certainly takes the awkwardness out of asking strangers to take a photo for you, whether or not it will spread to tourist destinations outside of Japan remains to be seen.