Skip to main content

    Google using 360-degree backpack cameras for new Street View treks

    Google using 360-degree backpack cameras for new Street View treks

    /

    Google has announced a back-mounted 360-degree camera that will capture Street View pictures in hard-to-reach places.

    Share this story

    Google Maps Backpack
    Google Maps Backpack

    Google's Street View cameras are expanding beyond cars, snowmobiles, or even trolleys: the company has just debuted a 360-degree back-mounted camera that will allow hikers to capture hard-to-reach places. The devices, which will apparently be going "lots of places" soon, look a bit like green helmets covered with lenses to capture photos from every angle. If this looks familiar, it's because Nature Valley did virtually the same thing: a few months ago, it released Street View-style pictures of several US national parks. The images from that were certainly stellar, so we're looking forward to similar work on Maps. Still, it's amusing to see Google blatantly copying a blatant copy of its own project.