Omnidirectional (360-degree) camera

Omnidirectional cameras are important in areas where large visual field coverage is needed, such as in panoramic photography and robotics.

In contrast, an ideal omnidirectional camera captures light from all directions falling onto the focal point, covering a full sphere.

In the case that they do cover the full sphere, the captured light rays do not intersect exactly in a single focal point.

Cars with omnidirectional camera include Nissan Qashqai, Volvo S90, Range Rover, Peugeot 3008 and Kia Stinger.

[4] Traditional approaches to panoramic photography mainly consists of stitching shots taken separately into a single, continuous image.

In contrast, an omnidirectional camera can be used to create panoramic art in real time, without the need for post processing, and will typically give much better quality products.

[5][6][7][8] Due to its ability to capture a 360-degree view, better results can be obtained for optical flow and feature selection and matching.

[10] Applications of omnidirectional cameras also include 3D reconstruction[11] and surveillance, when it is important to cover as large a visual field as possible.

[13] More established 360-camera manufacturers currently actively producing and supporting hardware as of March 2020 include: Frequent new models and quality improvements in consumer-marketed 360-cameras are blurring the line between the professional and consumer market.