The Birth of an Ingenious Idea
In 1991, researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory faced a simple yet persistent problem: finding out whether the communal coffee pot in the Trojan Room was full without wasting a trip. A practical solution was born when engineers Quentin Stafford-Fraser and Paul Jardetzky connected a camera to their local network.
The First Live Feed
Using a video capture card and a program called “XCoffee,” the team transmitted grainy, monochrome images of the coffee pot to desktop computers. Updated at a rate of three frames per minute, it allowed researchers to monitor the pot remotely and decide whether to make the trip.
Going Global
In 1993, the camera feed became one of the internet’s first live streams, accessible globally. The humble coffee pot gained worldwide attention, captivating viewers with its practicality and humor.
A Technological Legacy
The Trojan Room coffee pot remained online until 2001, when it was retired. The pot itself was sold on eBay for £3,350.
The world's first webcam was born out of a mundane problem in 1991 at the University of Cambridge. Researchers tired of wasted trips to the communal coffee pot in the Trojan Room devised a way to remotely check its status, forever changing how people viewed live-streaming… pic.twitter.com/sDfuoyqhk1
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) January 3, 2025