When did the first webcam get used?
Quick Answer
The first webcam was set up in 1991 at the University of Cambridge to monitor a coffee pot, so researchers could check whether it was full without leaving their desks.
The Full Story
In 1991 computer scientists in the Cambridge University computer laboratory rigged up a camera pointed at a coffee pot in a shared room. The camera fed a low-resolution image to computers on the local network so people could see whether coffee was available before walking over. When the image was connected to the early web in 1993, the Trojan Room coffee pot became a global curiosity, viewable by anyone online. It is widely regarded as the first webcam. The setup ran until 2001, when the pot was switched off and later auctioned.
Key Facts
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"The Coffee Pot That Became the First Webcam"