New Skydiving Toy?

[SuFantasma 0]

New Gear: The Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera

Linky: http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2011/10/new-gear-throwable-panoramic-ball-camera

The Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera is a concept device put together by Jonas Pfeil which is not only designed for throwing, but in doing so, takes a 360° panorama of wherever you are. This innovative camera uses 36 cellphone camera sensors placed around the outside of the ball, protected by foam. When you grab the ball and throw it into the air, the onboard accelerometer calculates the apogee — the point where the ball is stationary at the top of the arc — and it captures the entire scene.

Thanks to the 36 fixed focal-length sensors, it simultaneously captures the entire panorama, without any need for the standard recompose-shoot-recompose drudgery of taking pans.

All that remains to do is catch the ball, and transfer the image out via a USB cable. Images can be viewed using a special application.

While the image quality isn't great — cellphone camera sensors aren't known for their sharpness or color accuracy — the concept of this is nothing but fun. Who wouldn't want to throw a ball high into the air, and upon it landing, have a perfect panorama of wherever they're visiting? If the padding is tough enough you could even throw it off a precipice or a building, and grab some utterly wonderful vistas.

Unfortunately, we don't know if this is planned to ever be a commercial release. It's being demoed at Siggraph Asia 2011, but beyond that? We can only hope.

Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo".
- Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia"

[theonlyski 3]

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When you grab the ball and throw it into the air, the onboard accelerometer calculates the apogee — the point where the ball is stationary at the top of the arc — and it captures the entire scene.

It would have to get hacked so we could put our own time system on it, as the accelerometer would never be able to calculate the apogee in freefall correctly.

Cool concept anyways!

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
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[bluetwo 0]

I'd like to put a go pro on a pilot chute so I could watch the footage of it coming down.... only it probably get blown way off and never be found again.

Damn....

_______________________________________

[missbrz 0]

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I'd like to put a go pro on a pilot chute so I could watch the footage of it coming down.... only it probably get blown way off and never be found again.

Damn....

you could get a gps tracker put in it. & find it that way.

[shropshire 0]

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I'd like to put a go pro on a pilot chute so I could watch the footage of it coming down.... only it probably get blown way off and never be found again.

Damn....

There's a down side to that?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[BMichaeli 1]

new type of space ball if you could make it into a video camera or have it take pictures at even intervals.

[DSE 3]

like this one?

[Squeak 17]

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like this one?

You do realise that that is what this enitre thread is about. The OP has a Vid link to the ball

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[jsaxton 0]

$20 says the pictures will be boring as hell

[SuFantasma 0]

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$20 says the pictures will be boring as hell

$20 says the are very interesting when you throw the ball in the bedroom while your girlfriend is distracted!

Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo".
- Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia"

[jsaxton 0]

ok, you do it and send me the pictures, I'll send you the $20