Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera

source: jonaspfeilde
Panoramic photography creates fascinating images. Very wide angle images are closer to the human field of view than conventional pictures. If seen through a panoramic viewer they let us experience a location as if we were there. Panoramic image stitching can create panoramas from pictures taken one after another. Unfortunately, acquiring the images takes a lot of time and moving objects may cause ghosting. It is also difficult to obtain a full spherical panorama, because the downward picture cannot be captured while the camera is mounted on the tripod.
In this work, we present a throwable panoramic camera that solves these problems. The camera is thrown into the air and captures an image at the highest point of flight – when it is hardly moving. The camera takes full spherical panoramas, requires no preparation and images are taken instantaneously. It can capture scenes with many moving objects without producing ghosting artifacts and creates unique images.
Our camera uses 36 fixed-focus 2 megapixel mobile phone camera modules. The camera modules are mounted in a robust, 3D-printed, ball-shaped enclosure that is padded with foam and handles just like a ball. Our camera contains an accelerometer which we use to measure launch acceleration. Integration lets us predict rise time to the highest point, where we trigger the exposure. After catching the ball camera, pictures are downloaded in seconds using USB and automatically shown in our spherical panoramic viewer. This lets users interactively explore a full representation of the captured environment.
We used the camera to capture full spherical panoramas at scenic spots, in a crowded city square and in the middle of a group of people taking turns in throwing the camera. Above all we found that it is a very enjoyable, playful way to take pictures.

I am a computer engineer working at the intersection of hardware & software. I am also a co-founder and the CEO of Panono. I love problems and climbing.
I graduated with a Diplom (M.Sc.) from the TU Berlin.
This page contains projects I worked on at the TU Berlin and the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. I also participated several times in the German contest for young scientists “Jugend forscht” while still at school. In 2002 my team won the second place at the national level with a robot that orients via a ceiling-mounted ultrasonic tracking system.
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source: paudelbibekwordpress
For photographers, taking pictures of a nature scene is quiet hard to do and will require a special skill. That is why Panoramic Ball Camera that can be thrown anywhere upward to take the perfect 360 degree panoramic image will be so helpful.

Panoramic ball camera is created by Jonas Pfeil. This camera is designed with specific functions to allow you to capture unique panoramic images with ease.

Jonas said, to be able to produce a good panoramic image, a photographer must take it from several angles and compare the entire photo results to find the best one.

To use Panoramic ball camera is quite easy. Just throw it then this camera will take 36 pictures while rolling.
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source: iengenharia
Uma bola fotográfica – este é o conceito por trás da chamada Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera. O aparelho faz uma imagem panorâmica de 360º, já que possui 36 câmeras de celular acopladas em seu corpo esférico, protegido por espuma.

Quando você joga a bola para o alto, um acelerômetro calcula o ponto mais alto em que ela vai chegar. Nesse cume, a imagem panorâmica é capturada. Para visualizar a cena, basta transferir a imagem ao computador por meio de um cabo USB.

A qualidade da imagem não é tão boa, já que são feitas por câmeras de celular, mas o resultado é divertido. O aparelho foi apresentado durante uma conferência em Hong Kong, mas ainda não existem previsões de lançamento comercial.
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source: vccsiataccn
Jonas Pfeil 是一名最近刚从柏林理工大学硕士毕业的电脑工程师，曾在柏林理工大学和新西兰坎特布雷大学工作。他的研究项目包括全景相机球，增强实境装置，通过合作式开发系统编码的泡沫切割机，音频局域网协作等等。

可抛式全景相机球，就是由Jonas Pfeil设计组装的一个概念装置。不仅仅是用来抛的，而且无论你在哪，它被抛起来以后都可以拍摄360°全景照片。这个创新的相机在球体的表面使用了36个手机摄像头，并且用泡沫材料保护起来。当你把相机球扔到空中的时候，内置的加速度计以便计算出抛物线的顶点，然后启动所有的摄像头拍下照片。

全景照片是一种奇特的观景体验，广角照片比常规照片更接近人的观察角度，会让人产生身临其境的感觉，好像我们就真的在那里。全景照片通常是通过连续拍摄的照片进行拼接，但是照片拍摄过程可能会很长而且如果有物体快速移动的话，会产生虚影。还有一个难点就是，装在三脚架上的相机是不能拍摄向下角度的照片的。

所以Jonas Pfeil 使用了可抛式的照相机来解决这些问题，相机内建的传感器会在相机抛物线最高点的时候启动相机拍下照片。全景相机球可以捕捉很多移动物体的影响而不会产生鬼影。

相机球使用了36个2百万像素的定焦手机摄像头模块，安装在3D打印，覆盖泡沫材料的球形附件上，内建一个加速度计。集成电路可以对抛物线的最高点进行预判。由于使用了固定焦距的摄像头，所以相机球能够马上拍下整个的全景照片，而不需要任何的对焦过程。接住相机球以后，很短时间就可以通过usb导出照片，并且可以通过全景照片查看软件给用户一个身临其境的全方位体验。

不过不要指望照片质量会很高，毕竟手机摄像头并不是以锐度和色彩还原著称。这个概念最大的亮点就是有趣不是吗？

谁会拒绝旅游的时候抛出相机球，等它落下就可以获得很赞的全景照片呢？全景相机球可以用来在景点，拥挤的城市广场甚至在人群中抛来抛去进行拍照，这是一种非常享受，有乐趣的拍摄过程。如果保护材料足够强力的话，你甚至可以从高楼大厦或者悬崖扔出去，然后收获一些从别人够不到的角度拍摄的奇妙照片。

不过我们还不清楚这项创意是否能够变成商业化的产品。它已经在Siggraph Asia 2011展会上展出了，后面呢？我们就拭目以待吧。
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source: prophoto-onlinede
Ungewöhnliche Fotos erfordern ungewöhnliche Maßnahmen und nicht jedem steht für Luftaufnahmen gleich ein Flugzeug zur Verfügung. Das dachte sich offenbar auch der Berliner Student Jonas Pfeil und entwickelte einen Ball der besonderen Art.

Das Besondere: Dieser Ball ist mit 36 Handykameras bestückt. Wird der Ball nun in die Luft geworfen, dann erstellen diese Kameras ein Bild, aus denen dann ein Panoramafoto in beeindruckender 360-Grad-Optik entsteht. Jede der Kameras erreicht eine Auflösung von zwei Megapixeln. Der Ball, der in etwa die Größe eines Handballs hat, ist mit einem robusten Schaumstoff überzogen. Dieses Gehäuse wurde übrigens im 3D-Verfahren erzeugt. Ein Messgerät im Ball sorgt dafür, dass die Kameras nicht direkt im Flug, sondern erst dann auslösen, wenn die Ballkameramaschine in der Luft nahezu zum Stillstand gekommen ist.

Der findige Student hat über den Kameraball eine Diplomarbeit mit dem Titel „Throwable Camera Array for Capturing Spherical Panoramas“ an der TU Berlin geschrieben und will das ungewöhnliche Flugobjekt auf der Messe Siggraph Asia 2011 präsentieren. Zudem hat er den Panoramaball eigenen Angaben zufolge bereits zum Patent angemeldet.