Pretty sure cameras can be used to read punchcards too.
This sounds like a fun project. Somebody already did it, apparently: https://hackaday.com/2012/07/30/reading-punch-cards-with-an-...
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This sounds like a fun project. Somebody already did it, apparently: https://hackaday.com/2012/07/30/reading-punch-cards-with-an-...