This 360-Degree Camera Snaps Photos When You Toss It

We wouldn't normally advise you to toss a camera towards the sky, but the Panono is the exception. Covered in 36 lenses, this spherical 360-degree camera is designed to snap photos in midair after you throw it, Mashable reports.

After successfully raising $1.25 million through Indiegogo, Panono's founders have now made the device, priced at about $1500, available for commercial purchase. To use it, photographers chuck the softball-sized camera into the air. It can be programmed to activate when it reaches its highest point, snapping images with all 36 of its 3-megapixel cameras at once. Users can also take pictures while holding it, by pressing the gadget's shutter button, or they can attach it to the Panono selfie-stick and press the button on its handle. When mounted on a special tripod, the device can also be used to remotely take pictures through a companion smartphone app.

The Panono doesn't capture video, but it does take higher-quality pictures than most 360-degree cameras on the market. After capturing a scene from all angles, the device's software stitches them together using a software to create one 108-megapixel photograph. This can be viewed on a phone using VR goggles like Google Cardboard, or you can view it online.

As virtual reality keeps making its way into the mainstream, cameras built for capturing 360-degree imagery are becoming more popular as well. While there are plenty of similar products out there available for less, the Panono is the only one designed to take photos in the air.