Wearable tech startup company Orbi has quickly reached its $75,000 fundraising goal and will begin production on the Orbi Prime — the first 360-degree video recording eyewear in 4K resolution.
The company was founded by a veteran team of hardware and software engineers from established institutions (MIT, UC Berkeley, and Electronic Arts), as well as, photographers, videographers, and many other individuals along the way.
Acting as a “regular” pair of sunglasses with a twist, Orbi Prime when placed over your eyes is all it takes to begin recording.
With 4K resolution (1080p), and a 360-degree video capture ability, the sports-oriented Orbi Prime provides a clear and polarized, eye-level POV. The glasses also have a 90-minute recording time, water resistance (IP64 rating) and are encased in a lightweight and durable, polycarbonate frame.
Orbi takes out the “middle man” by removing the need for mounts, rigs and stabilizers so the user can enjoy a completely hands-free experience.
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However, this begs the question, “How does the camera stabilize video?” The Orbi Prime uses an electronic image stabilization, along with post-processing stabilization dependent on the captured motion data.
The company has also taken into account the growing demand of sharing these moments by including built-in Wi-Fi to capture and share videos with family, friends and across social media platforms. The Orbi Prime app makes the editing and sharing process even simpler, giving users the ability to crop, cut and combine videos to share.
The premise behind the development of the product was fueled behind this quote: “What if capturing these incredibly immersive videos was as simple as putting on a pair of glasses?”
And now it is.
Statista reported the market values action cameras at $4.36 billion in 2016, which is reflective of the 10.5 million units that have already been sold, according to Orbi. That number is projected to jump to almost 20 million by the end of 2016, and the company hopes to capitalize on the growing demand.
But, after cruising past its original goal, Orbi is looking towards the future and their stretch goals of $300,000 (hardware upgrade), $500,000 (video editing improvements) and $750,000 (software upgrade) for the Orbi Prime.
The glasses are up for pre-sale on indiegogo’s website, and have an expected release of August 2017.