Vecnos Inc, a new startup venture spun out of and funded by Ricoh Company, Ltd., unveiled its vision to be a leader in the consumer 360-degree camera market and announced its first product, an ultra-compact camera that aims to reinvent the selfie for social media natives.

Vecnos was founded by the core team that designed and launched the Ricoh Theta 360 camera in 2013. At Vecnos, the team—led by CEO Shu Ubukata—will leverage its expertise in optical and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to develop new approaches to 360-degree and other specialized cameras.

“Enabled by advances in technology, combined with new social networking platforms, we are building a new generation of cameras, with our first product designed to reinvent the selfie and be used by a younger consumer,” explained Ubukata. “Our objectives are to combine ease of use with advanced capabilities for shooting, enhancing and sharing images, in beautiful and elegantly designed products that people will want to use. We aim to inspire a new generation.”

Vecnos’ first product will be a small 360-degree camera featuring a sleek design. A proprietary four-lens optical system, with three lenses on the side, and one on the top, enables the camera to be ultra-slim and pen-shaped. Using the Vecnos app, users can easily enhance and share their images and videos on social media platforms. The 360-degree camera and app will be available in 2020.