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Kandao

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Kandao
Information
Industry 360-degree and 3D VR cameras, video conferencing cameras
Founded 2016
Founder Dan Chen, Jack Tan
Headquarters Shenzhen, China
Notable Personnel Dan Chen (CEO)
Products Obsidian, QooCam, Kandao VR Cam, Kandao Meeting
Website https://www.kandaovr.com


Kandao (legal name KanDao Technology Co., Ltd., also written Kandao Technology) is a Chinese imaging company based in Shenzhen that makes 360-degree and stereoscopic 3D cameras for virtual reality content, along with 360-degree video conferencing cameras. The company gives its founding date as 6 January 2016.[1] Its six-lens Obsidian 3D panoramic camera was named a CES 2017 Best of Innovation Honoree in the digital imaging category, which Kandao said made it the first Chinese brand honored in that category.[2]

Kandao's camera lines span professional multi-lens rigs (the Obsidian series, including the 12K Obsidian Pro), the dedicated VR180 live-streaming camera Kandao VR Cam, and consumer cameras sold under the QooCam name, among them the QooCam EGO stereoscopic camera with a clip-on 3D viewer.[1] Its stitching software uses a deep-learning optical flow method to join the images from several fisheye lenses into stereoscopic panoramas, a design that Kandao's Jack Tan and Rui Ma described with Gene Cheung of Japan's National Institute of Informatics in IEEE MultiMedia in 2018.[3][4]

Reviewed 15 October 2026. Checked company founding, founders, funding, product dates, prices and specifications, event uses and review quotes against every cited source. About review dates.

History

Founding and the Obsidian camera

Kandao was founded in Shenzhen in 2016.[1][5] Dan Chen (also written Chen Dan), the company's co-founder and chief executive, had previously worked as a research and development engineer at another company, which he left in 2016 to work on panoramic capture hardware and automatic stitching software.[6][5] Jack Tan is also identified as a co-founder in coverage of the company's 2018 research paper.[4]

When the CES 2017 Innovation Awards were announced in New York on 10 November 2016, Kandao's Obsidian 3D panoramic camera was named a Best of Innovation Honoree in the digital imaging category. Kandao described the Obsidian as a camera for live streaming and recording VR content through 360-degree stereo capture and its own 3D stitching technology.[2] The Obsidian design was later credited by the IEEE Computer Society to Jack Tan, Kandao research fellow Rui Ma and Gene Cheung of the National Institute of Informatics in Tokyo.[4]

In July 2017 Kandao opened an early adopter program for two versions of the camera: the Obsidian R, optimized for resolution, and the Obsidian S, optimized for frame rate. Techaeris reported a price of US$9,999 for the program.[7] In September 2017 the company set the price of both the Obsidian R and Obsidian S at US$6,999 each, including the Kandao Studio stitching software and companion app, and introduced a lower-cost model, the Obsidian Go, at US$2,499.[8] At the same time Kandao said it was developing depth map generation and six degrees of freedom (6DoF) playback features for Kandao Studio, which would let headset users lean within a video.[8] The Obsidian won the German Design Award 2018 in the Excellent Product Design category.[4]

QooCam and 8K live streaming

On 2 May 2018 Kandao launched a Kickstarter campaign for the QooCam, a pocket camera with three fisheye lenses whose body can be switched between 4K 360-degree capture and stereoscopic 3D 180-degree capture. In stereo mode it also produced a depth map that could be used to change the focus point after shooting. Kandao listed a retail price of US$399 and planned to start shipping in August 2018.[9] MoguraVR reported that the campaign raised more than US$540,000, about 18 times its goal, and that Japanese retail sales would begin in mid-August 2018 at 49,800 yen before tax, with Mitomo Co., Ltd. as the official Japanese distributor.[10]

At IBC 2018 Kandao demonstrated an end-to-end 3D 8K VR live streaming system made up of the Obsidian R camera, an upgraded version of its Kandao Live software and a Skyworth VR headset whose 8K decoding allowed playback at full resolution instead of a reduced 4K stream. The company also announced an investment from Foxconn at that time. In a separate test with Visbit, Kandao streamed 8K 360-degree video live from its Shenzhen office to headsets at Visbit's Silicon Valley office, where it was played on Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Go through the Visbit 8K VR Player app.[11]

QooCam 8K and conferencing cameras

The QooCam 8K, a consumer 360-degree camera with two 1/1.7-inch sensors, was first shown at Inter BEE in late 2019. It records 360-degree video at 7680 x 3840 at 30 fps and 3840 x 1920 at up to 120 fps in 10-bit color, and it was priced at US$589.[12] At its November 2019 announcement Engadget reported a 2.4-inch OLED touchscreen, 64 GB of built-in storage with microSD expansion, and shipments expected in December 2019.[13] A lower-cost model, the QooCam Fun, is a 3840 x 1920 clip-on 360-degree camera for Android smartphones; Digital Camera World reviewed it in October 2020.[14]

In August 2019 Kandao applied its 360-degree imaging to video calls with Kandao Meeting, an all-in-one conferencing camera with two fisheye lenses and an eight-microphone array that is placed in the center of a meeting room.[15] Kandao has since added further conferencing products: its product range lists the Meeting, Meeting Pro, Meeting S, Meeting Ultra, Meeting Ultra Standard and Meeting Omni lines next to its consumer and professional cameras, and it introduced the Meeting Pro 2 in May 2026.[1][16]

Obsidian Pro

Kandao announced the Obsidian Pro on 15 April 2021 at the Sony Imaging Center in Beijing. It has eight 24-megapixel APS-C sensors behind eight fisheye lenses with a 195-degree field of view and an f/2.8 maximum aperture, and records native 3D 360-degree video at 12K x 12K and 30 fps, with 12-bit raw video and 14-bit raw photos. The aperture can be adjusted electronically from f/2.8 to f/16, and recordings go to a single SSD module. In China the body alone cost 159,000 yuan, and shipping was expected to begin on 20 May 2021.[17] Fstoppers reported prices of US$24,499 to US$34,999 depending on the 4 TB, 8 TB or 16 TB storage configuration.[18]

In August 2021 Kandao announced a financing round worth "millions of dollars" led by CDF-Capital and Shenzhen Guarantee. The company said it had earlier received investment from ALPHA Group, Sky Light and Foxconn.[19]

Kandao reported that three Obsidian Pro cameras were used for 8K VR live streaming at an ice hockey test event for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, held at the National Stadium from 10 to 13 November 2021.[20] According to the company, Felix and Paul Studios, MeetMo and FlightLine Films used the Obsidian Pro for an 8K immersive livestream of NASA's Artemis I launch on 16 November 2022.[21] Kandao also lists the Obsidian Pro among TIME's Best Inventions of 2022.[1]

QooCam EGO and later cameras

Kandao announced the QooCam EGO in January 2022 ahead of a Kickstarter campaign scheduled to start on 8 February 2022.[22] The general launch followed on 20 May 2022, after crowdfunding on Kickstarter and Indiegogo.[23] EqualOcean described it as Kandao's first consumer 3D camera and reported North America as its main market.[5] The EGO is a two-lens stereoscopic camera that records side-by-side 3D video at 3840 x 1080 (1920 x 1080 per eye) and 60 fps.[23][24] A magnetic 3D viewer clips onto the back of the camera for immediate playback, and Kandao states that the viewer reaches 37 pixels per degree.[23] Footage can also be copied to a VR headset and viewed there as 3D video; Kandao published a guide for viewing it on the Oculus Quest 2.[24][25]

The QooCam 3, a waterproof 360-degree action camera with two 1/1.55-inch sensors and f/1.6 lenses, was announced at CES 2023 and went on sale in September 2023 at US$349.[26][27] In August 2023 Kandao announced the Kandao VR Cam, a VR180 camera for companies and production houses, with sales starting from late August 2023. It uses two Micro Four Thirds sensors with 210-degree fisheye lenses set 65 mm apart and streams 8K 3D VR180 video (7680 x 3840 at 30 fps) over RTMP, RTMPS and SRT.[28][29] The QooCam 3 Ultra, an 8K 360-degree camera with two 96-megapixel 1/1.7-inch sensors, was previewed in December 2023 ahead of CES 2024[30] and launched on 29 August 2024 at US$599 and £579.[31]

Products

The table lists Kandao's main VR and 360-degree cameras. Specifications are as reported by the cited sources.

Product Year Type Notable specifications
Obsidian R 2017 Professional 3D 360-degree camera Six fisheye lenses; 8K 3D 360-degree video at 30 fps and 4K 3D at 60 fps; 1.2 kg; US$6,999[8]
Obsidian S 2017 Professional 3D 360-degree camera Six fisheye lenses; 4K 3D 360-degree video at 120 fps and 6K 3D at 50 fps; US$6,999[8]
Obsidian Go 2017 3D 360-degree camera Six 220-degree fisheye lenses, each with a 16-megapixel sensor; 4K 3D 360-degree video at 30 fps and 8K photos; US$2,499[8]
QooCam 2018 Consumer 360-degree and 3D 180-degree camera Three fisheye lenses; 4K 360-degree video; 3D 180-degree mode with depth map; US$399 retail[9][10]
QooCam 8K 2019 Consumer 360-degree camera Two 1/1.7-inch sensors; 7680 x 3840 at 30 fps; 10-bit video; US$589[12]
QooCam Fun 2020 Clip-on 360-degree camera Connects to Android smartphones; 3840 x 1920; 67 g[14]
Obsidian Pro 2021 Professional 3D 360-degree camera Eight 24-megapixel APS-C sensors; 12K x 12K 3D 360-degree video at 30 fps; US$24,499 to US$34,999[17][18]
QooCam EGO 2022 Consumer stereoscopic 3D camera Two lenses; 3840 x 1080 side-by-side 3D video at 60 fps; magnetic 3D viewer[23][24]
QooCam 3 2023 360-degree action camera Two 1/1.55-inch sensors; 5.7K 360-degree video at 30 fps; 62-megapixel photos; US$349[27]
Kandao VR Cam 2023 Professional VR180 live-streaming camera Two Micro Four Thirds sensors; 210-degree fisheye lenses; 8K 3D VR180 at 30 fps; 65 mm lens spacing[28]
QooCam 3 Ultra 2024 360-degree camera Two 96-megapixel 1/1.7-inch sensors; 8K 360-degree video at 30 fps, 4K at 120 fps; US$599[31]

XR work

Stitching and depth

Multi-lens 360-degree cameras must merge overlapping fisheye images into one panorama, and stereoscopic rigs must do so separately for each eye. The paper's authors outlined the challenges of building affordable, portable and reliable 3D 360-degree cameras, and the techniques used in the Obsidian, in a 2018 IEEE MultiMedia article.[3] According to the IEEE Computer Society's summary, the team trained a neural network for optical flow on open-source data, fine-tuned it on the team's own synthetic dataset, and said the method ran 100 times faster than traditional optimization-based approaches.[4] Kandao Studio, the company's desktop stitching software, also produces depth information from the captured images.[7][8]

Live streaming

Live VR broadcasting has been part of Kandao's work since the Obsidian. The Obsidian R and S could live stream 4K stereoscopic 360-degree video over Ethernet,[8] and the Kandao Live software later supported 8K 2D and 3D streams at up to 30 fps.[11] The Obsidian Pro supports 8K VR live streaming at 30 fps and 6K at 60 fps over RTSP, RTMP, RTMPS and SRT, according to Kandao.[21] The Kandao VR Cam is built for VR180 streaming and uses Kandao Stream software for simultaneous streaming and recording.[29]

Headset playback

By July 2024 Kandao had released the Kandao XR app for the Apple Vision Pro. It plays sample 3D footage from the QooCam EGO and VR Cam, VR180 video from the VR Cam and 360-degree video from the Obsidian Pro, and it also has a local player for the user's own files.[32]

Reception

In its 2022 review of the QooCam EGO, Digital Camera World said the camera "proves more than mere novelty, with bags of resolution and a high frame rate, though ponderous user interface". The reviewer found that switching between photo and video modes took about four seconds and that the battery lasted about an hour.[24] TechRadar's 2024 review called the QooCam 3 Ultra "a great 360-degree camera" but said its phone and desktop apps were weaker than those of competitors, and that it cost more and weighed more than the Insta360 X4.[31]

Current status

As of October 2026 Kandao remains headquartered in Shenzhen. Its website groups products into conferencing, consumer and professional categories, with the QooCam 3 Ultra, QooCam 3 and QooCam EGO in the consumer range and the Obsidian Pro, Obsidian R, Obsidian S and Obsidian Go among its professional cameras.[1] In a January 2025 announcement ahead of the ISE 2025 trade show, Kandao said it would show the QooCam 3 Ultra and the VR Cam alongside its conferencing systems.[33] The most recent product announcement in the company's newsroom as of October 2026 was the Meeting Pro 2 conferencing device, announced on 14 May 2026.[16][34]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "About Kandao". Kandao. https://www.kandaovr.com/about. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "KanDao Technology's Obsidian Named CES Best of Innovation Honoree in Digital Imaging Product Category". PR Newswire. KanDao. 2016-11-10. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kandao-technologys-obsidian-named-ces-best-of-innovation-honoree-in-digital-imaging-product-category-300360383.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jack Tan, Gene Cheung, Rui Ma (2018). "360-Degree Virtual-Reality Cameras for the Masses". IEEE MultiMedia, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 87-94. https://doi.org/10.1109/MMUL.2018.011921238. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Lori Cameron (2018-08-08). "Kandao Obsidian: A New Generation of Cameras Focuses on Affordable 360-Degree Virtual Reality Video". IEEE Computer Society. https://www.computer.org/publications/tech-news/research/kandao-obsidian-camera-video-360-degree-virtual-reality. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Sasha Chen (2022-05-25). "Going Beyond Flat: Kandao QooCam EGO Transcends 'Metaverse' into the Real World". EqualOcean. https://equalocean.com/analysis/2022052518112-going-beyond-flat-kandao-qoocam-ego-transcends-metaverse-into-real-world. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  6. ↑ "Kandao Technology: Enriching human experience with Virtual Reality". Kandao. 2023-05-12. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/2029. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Alex Hernandez (2017-07-18). "Kandao Obsidian VR camera launches early adopter program". Techaeris. https://techaeris.com/2017/07/18/kandao-obsidian-vr-camera-early-adopter/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Sarah Redohl (2017-09-04). "Kandao announces Obsidian R and S price ($6,999), a new Obsidian Go camera + 6 DOF features from Kandao Studio". Immersive Shooter. https://www.immersiveshooter.com/2017/09/04/kandao-announces-obsidian-r-s-price-6999-new-obsidian-go-camera-6-dof-features-kandao-studio/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Kandao Launches QooCam, the World's First Interchangeable 4K 360°& 3D 180° Camera". Kandao. 2018-05-02. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/1256. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "2D360度と3D180度を撮影できるカメラ発売、約50,000円". MoguLive (MoguraVR). 2018-07-30. https://www.moguravr.com/?p=78454. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Richard Lackey (2018-10-09). "Kandao Develops End to End 8K 3D VR Live Streaming System". CineD. https://www.cinema5d.com/kandao-3d-8k-vr-live-streaming/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Matthew Allard (2020-01-09). "Kandao QooCam 8K 360 camera - $589 USD". Newsshooter. https://www.newsshooter.com/2020/01/09/kandao-qoocam-8k-360-camera-589-usd/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  13. ↑ Richard Lai (2019-11-07). "The world's smallest 8K 360 camera can fit in your pocket". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/07/the-worlds-smallest-8k-360-camera-can-fit-in-your-pocket/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Jamie Carter (2020-10-21). "Kandao QooCam Fun 360º 4K camera review". Digital Camera World. https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/reviews/kandao-qoocam-fun-360o-4k-camera-review. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  15. ↑ "Kandao Introduces AI-based 360° Conference Camera with Auto Focus on Speaker". Kandao. 2019-08-21. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/1204. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Introducing Kandao Meeting Pro 2: A 360° All-in-One AI Video Conference Device Designed for Smarter Meetings". Kandao. 2026-05-14. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/111567890. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "全球首款 8 镜头、12K 3D 超高清：看到科技发布影视级 VR 摄影机，售价 159000 起". IT之家 (IT Home). 2021-04-15. https://www.ithome.com/0/546/307.htm. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Wasim Ahmad (2021-04-21). "Kandao Stuffs 8 APS-C Sensors Into New Obsidian Pro 12K 360 Camera". Fstoppers. https://fstoppers.com/gear/kandao-stuffs-8-aps-c-sensors-new-obsidian-pro-12k-360-camera-558895. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  19. ↑ "Kandao Technology Raised Millions of Dollars to Provide Excellent Imaging Products". Kandao. 2021-08-12. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/1176. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  20. ↑ "Kandao Obsidian Pro Energizes the High-Tech Winter Olympics". Kandao. 2021-12-21. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/1162. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Kandao Obsidian Pro, the TIME's Best Invention Winner Live Streamed NASA's Artemis I Launch in 360". Kandao. 2022-11-28. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/1147. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  22. ↑ Beth Nicholls (2022-01-26). "Kandao QooCam EGO is the 3D camera and VR headset combo for the metaverse". Digital Camera World. https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/kandao-qoocam-ego-is-the-3d-camera-and-vr-headset-combo-for-the-metaverse. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 "Qoocam EGO 3D Camera Snaps Open a New Video Dimension for Content Creators". PR Newswire. Kandao Technology Co., Ltd.. 2022-05-20. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qoocam-ego-3d-camera-snaps-open-a-new-video-dimension-for-content-creators-301551895.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Jamie Carter (2022-06-04). "Kandao QooCam EGO review: the return of the stereoscopic camera?". Digital Camera World. https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/reviews/kandao-qoocam-ego-review. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  25. ↑ "How to view videos captured by the QooCam EGO in a VR headset, taking Oculus Quest 2 as an example". Kandao. 2023-07-14. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/2051. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  26. ↑ "Kandao Announces Kandao QooCam 3, the 11K 62MP Picture and 5.7K Video 360 Waterproof Action Camera at CES". Kandao. 2023-01-06. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/1144. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 James Abbott (2023-12-01). "Kandao QooCam 3 review: an enticing Insta360 and GoPro alternative". TechRadar. https://www.techradar.com/cameras/action-cameras/kandao-qoocam-3-review. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "KANDAO releases "Kandao VR Cam"". PRONEWS. 2023-08-14. https://en.pronews.com/news/2023081415574428.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Kandao VR Cam". Kandao. https://www.kandaovr.com/vr-cam. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  30. ↑ Adam Juniper (2023-12-22). "Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra 360-degree camera with 8K will be shown at CES". Digital Camera World. https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/kandao-qoocam-3-ultra-360-degree-camera-with-8k-will-be-shown-at-ces. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 James Abbott (2024-09-25). "Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra review: the best 8K 360-degree camera?". TechRadar. https://www.techradar.com/cameras/360-cameras/kandao-qoocam-3-ultra-review. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  32. ↑ "Unveiling the Future of Immersive Storytelling: Kandao VR Cam and Obsidian Pro with Apple Vision Pro". Kandao. 2024-07-22. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom/article/3008. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  33. ↑ "Kandao Presents AI-Powered 360 Video Conferencing Solutions at ISE 2025". Affaritaliani.it (PR Newswire). 2025-01-22. https://www.affaritaliani.it/lavoro/notiziario/kandao-presents-ai-powered-360-video-conferencing-solutions-at-ise-2025-416621.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  34. ↑ "Newsroom". Kandao. https://www.kandaovr.com/newsroom. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
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