Software rocks

If you think security cameras are common today, just wait until this new 180 degree camera gets released. Instead of getting an expensive fancy lens that may distort the image, they took 5 small cameras and turn the separate images into a nice 180 degree panoramic image.

I've seen the software that can turn multiple images into a panoramic, I am jealous I didn't think to combine it with multiple cheap cameras.

Ingenious programs and a controller chip synchronize the five images as they are received, stitching them simultaneously into a panoramic stream that transmits at 15 frames a second. - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/business/12novel.html