This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a novel 360° video surveillance camera which provides a simultaneous panoramic 360° field of view (FOV) using optical unwrapping, instead of digital unwrapping. The company's proprietary imaging technology can provide 70% greater image resolution than conventional cameras using the same sensor chip, and employs no moving parts. Not only can it acquire 360° video of a surrounding scene, but also such 360° video images can be viewed directly, for the first time, without need of external computational hardware/software for unwrapping. The proposed camera would perform video surveillance with unprecedented panoramic 360° field of view that eliminates blind spots, and greatly enhances image quality. The directly viewable 360° video would also enhance visualization, communication, and response time in surveillance practice.
The proposed imaging technology developed under this SBIR program is a platform technology with numerous potential applications. As a breakthrough optical imaging technology, it will lead many researchers and practitioners to rethink the way video images are captured and spawn commercial ventures to bring it to various commercial markets. In addition to enabling video surveillance products, e.g., 360° box camera, pen-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera, miniature camera, etc., this technology will lead to commercial applications in areas such as medical and industrial endoscopes, pipe inspection, turbine engine diagnosis, automotive safety devices, navigation, mobile robotics, video conferencing, and internet webcast. The company has selected three vertical markets in which to develop innovative product(s) offering significant value propositions. These three vertical markets are: (1) video surveillance cameras (~$13 billion), (2) automotive safety products, e.g., rearview mirrors and parking sensors, (~$13.4 billion), and (3) medical and industrial endoscopes (~$4.3 billion).
