Panono’s 360º “throwable selfie camera” will be ready Spring 2015

There has been a scramble for selfie-enabling products in recent months, but this is perhaps the coolest yet: a throwable camera which can take panoramic images in an amazing 108 megapixels.

The grapefruit-sized Panono Camera raised a record-breaking $1.25m through a crowdfunding campaign earlier this year, and works by having 36 camera modules embedded around it which simultaneously fire at the highest point when the camera is thrown into the air, enabling it to capture fully spherical, high-quality panoramic images. There is a corresponding app which enables users to view their Panono shots on a mobile device, making it fun and functional.

We can expect it to begin shipping in Spring 2015 – the first electronic prototypes are now fully developed and will undergo testing very soon.

The Berlin-based start-up company’s Indiegogo backers, who helped Panono to break the record to become Germany’s most successful crowdfunding campaign in January 2014, will be first in line to receive the camera – and if you want to get your hands on one, there are still some available to pre-order online.

‘It’s exciting to be just months away from realizing a dream that began in 2011 to create a whole new world of photography, one in which the photographer is literally at the heart of each image in a fully spherical shot that captures everything and everyone in every direction,’ said Jonas Pfeil, inventor, co-founder and president of Panono.

‘We are proud to be able to present the final and optimized design of the Panono Camera. Moreover, our panoramic camera counts to one of the highest-resolution consumer cameras worldwide.’

Panono has now launched a new campaign using Companisto, but this time to attract investment, deciding against the traditional route of venture capital investment.

‘We decided against the traditional investment rounds and would rather give the crowd a chance to join our success. We are looking forward to everyone who has faith in us and our product and participates in the crowdinvesting campaign,’ said Björn Bollensdorff, CEO and co-founder of Panono.

Money raised through this will be used to fund production of pre-orders from the online store, as well as international marketing and distribution.

The Panono Panoramic Ball Camera is available for pre-order at the discounted price of $549 USD on the Panono website.