The Independent has been given an exclusive look at the first-ever series filmed using Snapchat Spectacles.
The docuseries, First Person, follows young people around the world solving environmental problems and tackling the climate crisis with innovation.
The10-episode series premieres this Saturday on Snapchat’s Discover page with an episode on a young innovator who is revolutionising how toilets are used in Zimbabwe in the face of increased drought.
The Spectacles are augmented reality glasses with steel frames and dual HD cameras that are “inspired by the human eye”. The product allows users to capture images and video to post to the social media site.
Other episodes explore methods to build houses using human urine, making synthetic hair out of plants and training rats to sniff out landmines.
Another, titled Rhino Wars, looks at how conservationist groups’ adopted the radical idea of cutting off rhinos’ horns to protect them from poachers who kill the endangered species for the highly-trafficked part.
First Person was created by Yusuf Omar, journalist and co-founder of Hashtag Our Stories with his wife Sumaiya. The couple have spent the past two years training more than 3,000 people in 140 countries to tell stories via their phones.
In the US, 90 per cent of 13-24 year olds use Snapchat, according to the company’s own figures, while 3.5 billion Snaps are shared every day around the world.
