July 22, 2008

Meet GigaPan: The Robot Who Helps Digital Cameras Take Panoramic Shots

If you don't already have a robot in your life, get used to the idea because they are already sweeping floors, cutting grass and now they're shooting a mean panoramic photo.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a consumer-friendly robotic device that attaches to most digital cameras. It's called GigaPan, descriptive of its ability to capture over a billion pixels in a high-resolution panorama. Woah! GigaPan is larger than your digital camera and requires the use of a tripod. It uses a robotic finger to repeatedly click the shutter to take dozens to thousands of overlapping images, each at a slightly different tilt. The images are then spliced together to create the awesome panorama. How long does a shot take? Up to 90 minutes, so bring a cocktail.

These "giga" panoramas are idea to zoom into on a computer monitor, seeing crisp detail across a vast space--kind of like looking through binoculars. The plan is to release the GigaPan later in the year--no exact price yet, but folks are dedicated to making this affordable and speculate on a price in the $150-300 range.

Visit gigapan.org to see more examples. It's pretty cool! We'll keep you posted on updates.

Read More in: Digital Cameras | Industry News