CMU, Google Collaborate on Robotic Camera

Carnegie Mellon University recently announced that it is collaborating with Google to let people explore places around the world without ever leaving home. How is this possible? GigaPans (gigapixel panoramas) stored on servers provided by the university, made public for anyone to explore. You can even sign up to be one of the 300 people that are given GigaPan camera systems to provide feedback to the program.

Using a robotic device and free software, developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon and NASA scientists, people with standard hand-held digital cameras can create panoramas with enough detail that they can be mined for data or just enjoyed for their clarity. The images are built into the newest version of Google Earth, a mapping program that lets people view Earth through satellite imagery and aerial photographs.

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