RICOH Imaging Europe S.A.S recently announced their
second annual developers contest. The competition, reportedly looks out for new
applications and gadgets that utilize the RICOH THETA camera which takes
360-degree, fully spherical images or videos in one capture. Once registered, applicants
will have time till 31st August 2016 to submit their final version of their app
and gadget designs.
As a part of RICOH’s 80th anniversary celebrations this
year, the contest challenges developers to create innovative apps and gadgets
that work in synchronization with the RICOH THETA. According to the company,
the winners of the contest will receive a trip to Tokyo, Japan, for the awards
ceremony and the first prize winner will be awarded a cash prize of one million
Yen.
Applicants
will also gain early access to an exciting new platform which has been optimized
for cloud-based applications leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT). The new
IoT platform makes it possible for developers to efficiently and cost-effectively
build cloud-based applications, which typically require significant expertise
in cloud services and servers and a longer development time. It will be
interesting to see what the company comes up with since 360 degree videos and
photos seem to be the future of the industry.