Webcams go interactive

Canon has developed a technology that allows a network of video cameras to be viewed and controlled from distant locations via the Internet.

The WebView system, which will debut Monday at Networld+Interop Tokyo, is a software and hardware combination that relies on Canon's VC-C1 camera, according to Newsbytes.

Canon will offer Windows 95- and NT-compatible viewer software that can be downloaded beginning Monday.

To demonstrate the technology, Canon has four cameras in various locations around Tokyo that can be controlled by users running the software.

Users can pan or tilt the camera; zoom is possible with varying resolution, allowing picture sizes ranging from 80 by 60 pixels up to 640 by 480. The resolution and speed of the updated image are determined by the speed of the network connection.

WebView's possible uses include monitoring traffic conditions or a factory assembly line.