360 Degree GoPro

Now that Google has announced Jump, a new VR technology platform that lets you create and share 3D content, you're probably wondering how you can do exactly that. Well, Google has partnered with GoPro to come up with a solution: a 360-degree camera array built out of 16 GoPros. The circular rig boasts camera syncing, multi-camera control and a super-long battery life so it can stand out there to capture as much crazy 3D footage as you can conjure up. From there, you can just hand over the video to Google's Jump software and it'll process it for you. And, if you like, you can share it with the world so that anyone with a VR headset -- Cardboard or not -- will be able to see it. We're hearing from Google that the 360-degree camera will be seeded out to a few select YouTubers at least initially, but it'll eventually be up for purchase to any and all wannabe VR content creators. Meanwhile, you should check out the video below to see an interactive (use your keyboard or mouse to look all around you) 3D video shot with the GoPro 360-degree camera array.

his telescope is really just 10 Canon lenses strapped together

Hunting for extremely dim galaxies is especially difficult with single-lens telescopes. That's because, no matter how technologically advanced, the device's design cannot fully eliminate detail-obscuring scattered light from the resulting images. The University of Toronto's Dragonfly Telephoto Array, however, deftly avoids that issue. This array -- one of the smallest multi-lens astronomy telescopes in use today -- is comprised of 10 Canon 400mm f/2.8 L IS II USM telephoto lenses, each costing $10,000. What's more, each lens is coated in a unique subwavelength nanomaterial that drastically reduces light reflection within the optic. And, like its insect inspiration, the Dragonfly's ten eyes can work in concert with one another to further reduce unwanted illumination in the resulting image, bringing out otherwise unseen detail in cosmic structures. According to the University of Toronto spokesman Roberto Abraham, this $100,000 system is ten times as accurate as its nearest rival.

[Image Credit: U of Toronto]