WASHINGTON—The Explorer camera is the size of a softball. And you can throw it like one.

The device is a ball with six wide-angle cameras protected by a thick shell, symmetrically positioned around the ball so no matter which way it bounces or how it lands, it can see in all directions. The camera retails at about $1,500.

The Explorer is designed to be safer way for police officers to gather strategic data in treacherous situations. As a user throws the camera, it takes pictures every half-second and then instantly stitches together panoramic images and sends them to a smartphone or tablet. The camera ball also acts as a wireless hotspot, with a range pegged at 60 feet, so the mobile device or tablet can quickly download those images. The images are put together in an omnidirectional view—that is, a bird’s-eye view. 

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