What this work involves
Repair work leans on your hands finding what your eyes can't see: a loose clip, a seized bolt, the right socket by feel. Researchers are studying whether video of people doing tasks can help train robots; the results depend on the task and the training method, and the guide on how robots learn from human video explains that research. To record it, you do your usual workshop tasks while a camera on a head strap or cap films them from your point of view.
The category covers ordinary workshop routines on cars, motorcycles, bicycles or small engines. Each project lists its own tasks, requirements and equipment before you accept.
What a recording can show
Some things workshop footage can cover. None of them describes a current project:
- Checking fluids, tires, belts and brake pads.
- Choosing a wrench or socket, then loosening and tightening.
- Removing a part, cleaning and sorting it, and fitting it back.
- Tracing a hose or a wire by hand to find a fault.
- Small assemblies at the bench, cleanup and putting tools away.
The most useful footage has light on the work area and your hands in frame, which takes some planning under a car or inside an engine bay. For camera height, light and pace, see the guide on how to record first-person video.
- Pay is USD 5–15 per hour of accepted footage; it varies by project and is not guaranteed.F1b
- Review usually takes about a week, with a contractual limit of 30 days. Payment usually arrives within 7 days of acceptance, with a contractual limit of 60 days.F8, F7
- Collectors are paid in US dollars (USD) through Wise.F9, F9b
- Rejected footage is not paid.F11
- There is no fee to apply, and no coding or AI background is needed.F2
- No English is needed: instructions and support are in Spanish and Portuguese.F12
- You never pay for equipment: the project provides it, or the task needs no special equipment.F3b
Permission and privacy in a workshop
A workshop is a commercial setting, so you need written permission from the owner or manager before you record there. Any coworker or customer who can be identified in the footage needs to sign a release.
Vehicles carry personal details: number plates, papers in the glove box, addresses on the navigation screen. Keep them out of frame, and record when no customers are in the bay. Follow your workshop's own rules and do the job the way you would without the camera. The guide to privacy and consent at work goes into releases and permissions in more detail.
How to join the pool
- 01
Apply once
Fill in the short form on the collector page, and say that you work in a workshop and what you repair.
- 02
Wait for a suitable project
If a project fits what you do, we arrange it with you by email. You see its requirements, equipment and exact rate before you accept.
- 03
Record and send
You record the agreed tasks; people and automated checks then review the footage.
- 04
Get paid
We pay for accepted footage in USD, as described above.
Every kind of footage goes through the same steps, and the overview of how recording works covers them.
Other types of recording work
The types of recording work directory has the full list. Five more to look at:
- Home cooking: an everyday meal in your own kitchen.
- Gameplay: the game screen and your inputs, with no camera.
- Shop floor: shelves, folding and placing goods in a shop.
- Construction trades: measuring, tool preparation and materials on a site.
- Hair and beauty salon: tool preparation and salon routines.
Questions
Is this a mechanic job?
No. You get paid to record workshop tasks you already do. Who you work for stays the same, and the footage is a separate piece of paid work.
Can customers' cars appear?
Yes, if the workshop owner or manager has given written permission and the plates and personal details stay out of frame. Anyone who can be identified needs to sign a release.
What equipment do I need?
You never pay for equipment. Each project lists its requirements and equipment before you accept.