Before Bublcam, 360° imaging was kind of like computers before the PC: it was only for specialized applications. Spherical imaging needed expensive, highly-engineered equipment, massive workstations, and engineers with subject matter expertise to process the data. Sean Ramsay’s background in camera stitching software led to a simple realization:

360° imaging should belong to everyone.

Put that capability in the hands of consumers, and you’ll empower them to tell their stories in a way they never could before. You’ll also create a massive new market.

Sean imagined a way to give people superpowers. Whenever a product like that walks through the door, we jump at the opportunity to bring it to life.

Sean tapped Cortex to envision the product and engineer the working prototype. In the process, we created a brand new experience and product category.

Now, it’s everywhere.

• Lead with design, and the brand will follow. Through blue-sky imagination and relentless iteration, we matched form with function to arrive at a design that told a story: “Your life in a bubble.” When a device’s purpose is obvious to everyone who sees it, you’ve just created a true consumer product.

• Let vision guide engineering.
  • Circuit boards aligned along a middle plane allow for compact housing, producing a 4k image using only HD cameras in a unit the size of a baseball.
  • Rings around each camera provide heat sink while acting as an exoskeleton for the unit, increasing durability.

• Design vision with an engineer’s eye. We designed for the device’s eventual engineering and production constraints at every stage of the visualization and prototyping process, which kept design costs low as interest began to build.

• Working prototype. We established the look and feel for a completely new experience, then delivered a working prototype that fulfilled Bublcam’s promise. This included mechanical engineering, thermal design, charged circuitry, user interface, circuit-board mechanicals, and customized optics. This led to successful funding and a major bump in company valuation.

The Result.

• Bublcam launched a brand new product category.
• We created a form factor that was often imitated, never duplicated. (Run a Google search for “360 cameras.” Notice anything?)
• Bublcam’s 10x company valuation led to successful funding and an eventual buyout.

Awards and Accolades.

• 2015 Spark Award
• PriceWaterhouseCooper’s Vision to Reality Award – Recognized as a Top 10 Up and Coming Technology Company
• Cannes Innovation Lion – Finalist