Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Google and National Geographic have built robotic technologies that enables ANY digital camera to produce gigapixel panoramas images, called GigaPans.
GigaPan consists of three technological developments: a robotic camera mount for capturing very high-resolution (gigapixel and up) panoramic images using a standard digital camera; custom software for constructing very high-resolution gigapixel panoramas, called GigaPans stitcher and GigaPan Uploader; and, a new type of website for exploring, sharing and commenting on gigapixel panoramas and the detail our users will discover within them. The GigaPan website allows hosting and sharing all kinds of panoramas, and so the robotic GigaPan mount is recommended but is certainly not required to be part of this community. Users of infamous Google Earth also can enjoy GigaPan growing panorama images directly from GE.
Read GigaPan press release or go straight to GigaPan websites and register yourself to win $279 GigaPan robotic device 
Images courtesy of Charmed Labs.
