Camarada Syncs Multiple Phones Into One 360-Degree Camera

VR is the new hot thing but creating 360-degree content is still not as easy as it can be. Sure, there are now cheaper 360-degree cameras, but that still requires an investment. If you're out cash, however, you're also out of luck. Luckily, the Google folks over at Android Experiments thought up Camarada, the camera armada app. It basically enlists the help of nearby Android phones in order to form an army of cameras that can record a single footage of either stereoscopic 3D or full 360-degree videos. And all you need are friends. Or multiple Android phones.

Recording 3D and 360-degree isn't really magic. You just need two or more cameras recording the same thing from different angles. So, in theory, you could do the same things with two or more smartphone cameras, provided you can get them in sync with one another.

That is exactly what camarada does. It's basically a camera app that syncs its recording with other nearby smartphone cameras running the same app. In practice, this means you have a makeshift VR or 360-degree camera. If you can hold those cameras steady long enough.

Camarada has three modes but only two of which are currently available. The first is a plain old boring 2D mode that needs only one phone. The advantage of this single phone mode is that you can record video configured to be viewed on VR headsets. With two phones held together in a special way, you can create true stereoscopic 3D videos.

The fun really starts when you have three or more smartphones, which will allow you to record full 360-degree footage. You'll probably want a tripod setup or something similar, unless you're after a dizzying shaky cam effect. This feature, however, is still coming, giving you enough time to collect friends. Or Android phones, rather.

SOURCE: Android Experiments