The first webcam watched a coffee pot so researchers wouldn't walk to an empty one

In 1991, a small camera was pointed at a coffee pot in the Trojan Room of the University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory. The camera broadcast a live image of the pot's coffee level over the local network, allowing researchers to check from their desks whether a fresh pot was available. The setup, known as the Trojan Room coffee pot cam, was one of the first examples of a webcam and remained in operation until 2001. ^[1]

How the Coffee Cam Came to Be

The idea originated with Quentin Stafford-Fraser and Paul Jardetzky, researchers at the lab. Frustrated by frequent trips to the Trojan Room only to find an empty pot, they mounted a camera on a frame grabber and wrote software to capture images and serve them over the lab's network. The system was later connected to the emerging World Wide Web, making the feed accessible to a wider audience. ^[2]

1. 1991

   Camera installed in the Trojan Room; local network broadcast begins.

2. 1993

   The feed is connected to the World Wide Web, gaining international attention.

3. 2001

   The camera is switched off for the last time.

The coffee pot cam became a beloved symbol of the lab and an early icon of internet culture. It demonstrated how a simple, practical solution could capture the public imagination and foreshadow the era of ubiquitous webcams and streaming video. ^[3]

“The Trojan Room coffee pot was the world's first webcam.”

— Quentin Stafford-Fraser

Although the original camera was retired, its legacy lives on in the history of computer science. The coffee pot itself was later auctioned, and replicas and tributes continue to appear in technology museums and online. ^[4]