Quinton-Stafford Fraiser was working on ATM networks in the computer lab called, "The Trojan Room" with several other researchers. They all shared a coffee pot that was located right outside the room. Many people who drank a lot of coffee were located throughout the building, on many different floors. So, they created XCoffee by facing a camera toward the pot and connecting it to a frame-grabber. A server program was written by Paul Jardetzky that captured images of the pot, and then another program was created by Fraiser to allow anyone connected to the server to view updated images of the pot about 3 times per minute. This coffee pot became famous, because it can be called the first webcam. Anyone had the chance to look at the pot online until August 22, 2001 when the server was turned off.
See http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/coffee/qsf/coffee.html
Cell phones now include a video screen that allows users to connect directly to webcams located in their homes. No more worrying about your children with the babysitter, or wondering if the mailman has dropped off that package, or worrying about your house while you are on vacation. Now everyone will be able to keep an eye on all parts of their house with this new technology. Place as many webcams throughout your house as necessary, and you will receive constant updates on whichever one you want to view throughout the day.
page last updated: Spring, 2002