Webcams are pretty standard and common peripheral devices these days, there’s no doubt about it. A lot of laptops have them integrated and the standalone versions are different only as far as the resolution is concerned. But there’s one particular feature that most webcams don’t usually include, that has been embraced and largely debated by a UK company called Promotion and Display Technology Ltd. These guys decided that the market lacks a device that produces a 3D image of the person it is viewing. This is why they came up with the Minoru 3D webcam.
This is the classic version of 3D where the viewer has to wear special glasses in order to see the 3D image properly. The main advantage of this device is that Minoru can be used as a standard webcam with applications such as Skype, instant message clients or even YouTube videos.
Minoru, meaning “reality” in Japanese, is therefore the world’s first 3D webcam. The only thing you should do is to connect Minoru to your PC and he will come alive, his eyes will light up and he will be looking at you in 3D. This way, your friends and family can now see you in 3D over your favorite messaging program like Windows Live Messenger, Skype, AOL instant messenger, OoVoo and many others. You also have the chance to take 3D photos or even shoot 3D videos and then upload them to YouTube.
This webcam won’t find its place among common peripheral devices, as I said it before. Minoru has two discrete lenses spaced at roughly human eye distance, but unlike a View-Master reel, it doesn’t deliver two discrete images, rather it mixes both together into a blurry-looking mess that requires the funny two-color glasses.
Moreover, you don’t need a special Web platform or software for viewing: standard video IM clients or YouTube and its ilk are all compatible; the video will look badly out of registration until you put the glasses on.
For those who are interested in the world’s first 3D webcam, Minoru can be purchased for an amount of approximately $100 when it arrives in December, when it’s expected to become available.
