3D Cameras

We've already had plenty of announcements from the Google I/O 2021 developer event happening this week, but Google has also been showing off a 3D video conferencing app that it's working on called Project Starline.

Next-gen 3D cameras are on the way, capable of rendering spatial images in unprecedented resolution and speed. The MegaX research camera captures single-photon light levels at up to 24,000 frames per second, paving the way for safer autonomous cars.

​Insta360 is no stranger to the world of 360-degree video cameras, having brought us consumer, prosumer and professional models. Now the company is back with the Evo, which can shoot both 360-degree interactive video and 180-degree 3D.

​When it comes to recent technological advances in consumer video cameras, two of the big ones have been 360-degree interactive video, and 3D video. Kandao's QooCam is a three-lensed 4K/30fps camera that does BOTH, plus it allows you to change the focus in photos that have already been taken.

Currently on Kickstarter, the SID camera is a dual-lens 3D-shooter which promises to make it simple to film footage suitable for VR applications and headsets. 3D live-streaming is also possible with the compact device, as is the ability to add Augmented Reality special effects to videos.

Sticking with what it knows, Toronto-based Matter and Form has created Bevel, an accessory that turns smartphones and tablet into 3D cameras. Unlike the team's 3D Scanner, Bevel is intended for capturing everyday events that can then be shared in 3D.

Dell's Inspiron refresh, revealed at CES this week, adds some high-end bells and whistles to the line, including an optional 4K display and Intel RealSense 3D camera tech.

Inspecting products on the assembly line can itself be expensive, time consuming, and not as accurate as it should be. To speed things up a bit, BMW has developed a new system for inspecting bumpers that uses gestures to allow inspectors to literally point out defects.

By juxtaposing two images taken from the same angle but with different focus depths, Harvard researchers have found a way to create 3D images from a stationary camera or microscope with a single lens. The technique has potential for microscopy and 3D movies.

With a design modeled after an old Viewmaster, the Poppy uses an iPhone's own camera to capture and view stills and video in stereoscopic 3D.

Sony's new DEV-50V electronic binoculars are 30 percent smaller than the preceding DEV-3 and DEV-5 units but offer increased magnification and OLED eyepieces.

Microsoft is set to make life easier for graphic artists, 3D printing aficionados, industrial designers, animators, architects, and games developers by turning its Kinect sensor to the task of generating 3D models of objects and environments.