Researchers at the Integrated Media Systems Center at the University of Southern California

Researchers at the Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC) at the University of Southern California have developed panoramic 360-degree video technology that is being used for various projects. In one project, for example, the panoramic camera photographed a circular fish tank with live tropical fish. Users wore a head-mounted display that helped to create the illusion that they were immersed in the water with the swimming fish. In another project--this one on new digital tools for journalism, the panoramic camera was used to capture a dramatic sense of the difficult conditions of the homeless on a downtown Los Angeles street. The results of this exercise were used as part of a report on the homeless developed by journalism students as an academic exercise.