Useless USB camera

As years went by, few USB cams are now sleeping in the drawers. Pity to throw them away, they were such a great add-on to a computer back in the ice age. Now these USB little gems are looking for something to do. Can anyone please provide a subject or hack to use them Arduino projects?

Raspberry pi or other kind

Raspberry pi or other kind of computers would be better. Couple it with a laser and a stepper and you’ve got a 3d scanner, attach multiple cameras to make photos from more perspectives, put a camera+microcomputer with a motion-detect algorithm and use it as security camera, attach a microservo and do time-lapse, put a camera film above the lense + some ir leds and you get a infrared webcam.

Many uses, but arduino can’t elaborate the input from a webcam, but even a raspberry pi A can handle more webcam at once.

The RasPi camera is much
The RasPi camera is much faster than webcams. On the other hand, webcams are things that we all have or can get cheaply.

Thanks Sliux…if someone

Thanks Sliux…if someone with less time wants to enter the microcntrollers feild as a serious hobby for future profession… do you agree to skip Arduino and start with RasPi directly ?

Arduino it’s easier

Raspi it’s great but can’t tolerate 5v, and it’s worth knowing arduino as it’s more supported on the electronic, cheap clones boards, no boot time, really low energy, many plug and play shields.
Raspbian it’s still in its early steps, not so easy to use. I prefer attaching an arduino with usb to arduino than use the gpio ports on Raspi(the program that uses gpio may crash. arduino goes on as long as power lasts).
Anyway knowing Linux means you will have always a super OS with latest features, totally free and completely hackable, easy to protect, and so much power!
Knowing microcontrollers and linux may save you lots of money as you get a programmer/maker discount.
Almost all software it’s open source on Linux, you can make a 3d printer and save by producing plastic products instead of buying them.

But only one camera module

But only one camera module at once.
There’s room for 4-8 webcams or 2-3 hd webcams(same resolution and cost than camera module).
Even more if powered separately(max 28 low res, or 16 high res, by ram limit, still need to test cpu limits)
I didn’t know that the camera module can also do 90fps slow motion, which it’s something you don’t get usually from webcams.

I read some software can

I read some software can boost up to 120fps, but at the account of resolution. still cannot figure out why an i-7 CPU laptop with 1GB dedicated graphics card, big Ram and hi-res cam; why such a system cannot be software-d to function as a hi fps machine ? is it an agreement between software writers not to allow it ? or technology is not yet capable ?