The Webcam

A webcam is a video camera that can record or stream video to a computer or computer network. They are most commonly used in video telephony, livestreaming and social media, and security. Webcams are commonly connected to a device via USB or wireless protocols and can be built into computer hardware or peripheral devices.

Back in 1991, no one had home internet access. Cambridge University researchers shared a single coffee pot, which quickly ran dry. As a result, people frequently found themselves smelling a freshly made pot only to find it all gone when they arrived. As a result, one of the researchers installed a camera on the pot and gave it its own computer to monitor.

People could then determine whether or not there was coffee available. As a result, the first webcam in history was created as a coffee monitoring system. Instant messaging clients added support for webcams in the late 1990s and early 2000s, increasing their popularity in video conferencing. Webcams have also been integrated into laptop hardware by computer manufacturers. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of webcams in 2020 due to an increase in the number of people working from home.

Introduced: 1991