Facebook Launches 360 Degrees 3D Camera in Capturing Virtual Reality

In an attempt to encourage innovative push for its 360-degree livestreaming video on its social networking platform, Facebook has just offered the world an open-source project with a reference design for a futuristic video capture technology.

Facebook thinks that the project called 'Surround 360' may attract a huge stream of talents wanting to create a product built on an available reference design. The project reportedly cost about $30, 000 to make.

"The industry can grow with us," Brian Cabral, Facebook's director of engineering and head of the project, said as quoted by CNET. He further noted, "The price of the parts will go down."

As described by The Verge, Surround 360 alludes to the shape of a flying saucer complete with 17-camera array armed with web-based software to take 360-degree shots and render the captured images automatically.

With basic designs out in the open, manufacturers and their engineers might come up with an even more sophisticated version of the equipment thereby hastening the process of innovation.

So, what's in it for Facebook?

Evidently, the social networking giant is recreating itself not just as a mere platform for networking with friends, families, and clients but as an ecosystem of with a hold on everyone's life. The camera is essentially designed for video purposes. As noted by Gizmodo, video makes a lot of sense to Facebook as it ventures out into livestreaming. Facebook hopes to accomplish what Google already did: using Facebook to shoot, process, and play back videos on its platform.

"We care a lot about kickstarting and inspiring the overall ecosystem as much as we can," remarked Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox as quoted by Wired.

Facebook evidently banks on video as integral medium that will give its social network platform a much bigger technological edge over its rivals.

"With any good open source project, you don't always take the whole thing," Cox continued saying as mentioned in a report by The Wired. "Usually, there's a piece in there that solves a problem so that you don't have to go solve it."