Canadian flexible camera takes panoramas in one shot

Researchers at Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab have developed the FlexCam, a bendable camera can capture panoramic photos in one take. Typically, such shots require a special lens or stitching together a series of standard photos. Using a Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (FOLED) as the viewfinder display, the FlexCam goes one better by allowing photographers to broaden or narrow the camera’s field of view (FOV) on the fly.

The FlexCam’s integrated bend sensors measure the amount of flex in the display, which is then used by the camera’s software to adjust the viewfinder virtual FOV display. In addition, the flex input dynamically stitches images captured by an array of camera lenses on the back of the handheld device.

At present the FlexCam is a prototype and the panoramic pictures aren’t always seamless but Queen’s researchers envision the device becoming one aggregate flexible, thin-film device.
www.hml.queensu.ca