The world's first webcam was switched off 25 years ago today — 128x128 grayscale feed predated the World Wide Web to monitor a Cambridge coffee pot
- ID
- 17027
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 23 Aug 2026, 5:00 PM
- Fetched
- 23 Aug 2026, 5:11 PM
- Provider
- Tom's Hardware
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/webcams/the-worlds-first-webcam-was-switched-off-25-years-ago-today-128x128-grayscale-feed-predated-the-world-wide-web-to-monitor-a-cambridge-coffee-pot
- Source URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/feeds/all
Summary
- Score
- 2.0
- Created
- 23 Aug 2026, 5:11 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_coders
What happened
The world's first webcam, a 128x128 grayscale feed monitoring a Cambridge University coffee pot, was switched off 25 years ago. It predates the World Wide Web and was built so researchers could check if coffee was brewed before walking to the pot.
Why it matters
No actionable takeaway for builders; this is a historical curiosity. The only useful discussion point is how a trivial infrastructure convenience (checking a coffee pot) motivated an early IoT-style system, paralleling how modern builders ship small utility agents and dashboards today.
Discussion angle
Compare the coffee-pot webcam to today's throwaway AI agent dashboards — what's the modern equivalent of a 128x128 grayscale feed you'd build just to save a walk down the hall?