TwoEyes Tech Demo Their 3D 360-Degree VR Camera

TwoEyes Tech is a startup that has developed a binocular 360-degree field-of-view VR camera that captures images using two pairs of fisheye lenses arranged 65 millimeters apart, just like the eyes of a human, thus allowing for a more comfortable VR experience. TwoEyes Tech, a member company of the K-ICT Born2Global Centre, made sure that the VR images it produces mirrors human eyesight by taking the standard distance between human eyes into consideration when capturing the images. As a result, the images show a three-dimensional representation of the world as people see it. In only one filming session, the VR camera captures 360-degree 3D video that can be viewed on VR headsets, smartphones, computer monitors, and 3D TVs. The videos, in full HD, 3D, and red-cyan mode, can be converted from and into 180-degree and 360-degree content, meaning that a single recording can be converted into six different types of content.

Moreover, filming with the camera is quite easy. When held horizontally, the camera records in binocular mode; when held vertically, it records in monocular mode. The recordings it produces can be viewed immediately on a smartphone or uploaded to social media.

A pair of lenses captures mass appeal and innovation

TwoEyes Tech's technology for shooting in various modes using two pairs of fisheye lenses has already started gaining recognition around the world. In November, the company was granted a CES 2018 Innovation Award, which is given to companies that have developed products that meet certain standards of innovation, functionality, design, and other criteria at the world's largest annual trade show. Visitors of CES 2018 can experience and try TwoEyes Tech's products at the Eureka Park Marketplace in Hall G, Booth #51677, throughout the length of the trade show, which runs Jan. 9-12, 2018, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas.

General consumers also began showing interest in TwoEyes Tech as well. The company's recent crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter managed to secure investments from 699 backers totaling nearly USD 190,000, which is almost five times more than its original goal of $40,000 USD. In the coming year, the company is planning to begin official sales through mass production, and another funding project on Makuake, a Japanese crowdfunding site, is in the works as well.

Song HunJoo, CEO of TwoEyes Tech said: "We are planning to revamp our product name for a more global audience once we start mass producing and selling the cameras. The challenge we are facing now is to create a quality product that functions well and is easy to use."

Aiming for video software beyond VR

Song aims to expand TwoEyes Tech's business from VR cameras to video-related software, to which his years of experience in the computer graphics and 3D video industry can be applied to create a growth engine for the company. In addition to its VR cameras, TwoEyes Tech is planning to unveil a VR video editing program as well.

The reason Song decided on a VR camera as the product with which TwoEyes Tech would enter the overseas market lies in his career experience as well. Prior to founding TwoEyes Tech, Song worked as a developer, creating a VR application called "ARC Interactive." As the VR market began growing, Chinese companies such as Huawei requested the production of VR cameras that could be embedded in cell phones, and thus TwoEyes Tech was born.

"When I received those requests from Chinese companies, I immediately thought that was something that had market demand," remarked Song. "So, we started developing a VR camera in cooperation with Intops and other manufacturers, based our determination to create a product that could be competitive in the global market."

Aside from VR cameras, TwoEyes Tech also plans to unveil multi-angle cameras that can film at various angles simultaneously and playback the recorded videos freely. The next product in the works is TwoEyes Hover, which allows the user to change the direction of the camera by simply touching the display and quickly rotate the camera by swiping across the screen. The company's goal is to allow people to create 360-degree videos like those in the Matrix movie without having to use special filming techniques or effects.

Song commented, "Our goal is to grow into a company that can shake up the VR camera market. My main goals, however, are to contribute to the growth of the VR industry and improve upon our technology so that it can become the standard for VR video capture."