Not for nothin, but if you're a product photographer you may want to rethink your business plan... 
 

Via TechRadar, we learned that this little $17K gadget can completely automate 3D product work.  Especially since it hits right to the website product animation market, and, considering the cost of 3D rendering and photography, if you're shooting lots of expensive widgets it's really pretty cost-effective (if it works) you may be competing against it in the not-too distant future...  that is, unless you own one (or two) yourself...
 

This, fron the TechRadar site:

Ortery's new desktop studio systems allow you to create professional-looking product photos for use online (as 3D animations, if you so wish) or in print.

The Photosimile 5000 software does all the work for you - controlling the studio, camera location, turntable movement, camera settings, picture taking, and post processing.

Pop your shoe (or whatever you like, really) into the light box and let the Photosimile software do the rest.

Save 3D animations in Silverlight

Ortery's system makes use of four daylight bulbs providing 6500K illumination, a Canon DSLR mounted on a mechanical track, an Ortery turntable and can shoot up to 72 pictures per 360-degree rotation, from zero through to 90 degrees.

Your pics can then be saved as GIF or Flash files or converted into 3D Microsoft Silverlight animations using Ortery's Real3D format.

Ortery's Photosimile 5000 is now shipping at a cost of around US$17000 (£10550).