In Broadcast - November 2018 - 58

58

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 8 - Issue 10 | November 2018

InFocus

Robotic Camera Systems
Contributing Editor Adrian Pennington considers how camera robots can empower the cameraman,
motion control operator and photography director to get the camera exactly where it needs to be for
unique tight choreographed camera angles...

B

roadcasters increasingly rely
on robotic camera systems to
drive operational efficiencies through
automation. While automated camera
moves have been used in news
studios for many years, in highly
choreographed productions where
consistency of product is key, robotic
cameras moves have become integral
to overall workﬂow automation.
With the rise in quality of small
format cameras, advancing motor
technology and motion control
software, together with new levels
of product design aesthetics, robotic
camera positions are bringing a level
of motion usually associated with
manually controlled ﬂuid heads and
in positions that add further value
to productions. Such advances are
allowing robotic cameras moves to be
cut live to air (rather than just replays)
and, through a wider range of payload
and mounting options, opens the
possibility of more camera positions
without compromise to venue
audience space.
Key buying criteria include speed,
smoothness, payload capacity, safety,
and reliability. Live productions have
the added challenge to make cameras
as invisible as possible to the live
audience.
"Another area of growth for robotic
cameras has been the rise of remote
productions," says Mark Roberts
Motion Control CEO Assaff Rawner.
"With the increasing availability of
stable high-bandwidth networks, the
control of camera robotics over IP
is an attractive proposition to lower
production costs and minimise travel."

Telemetrics
RCCP-1A STS
control panel

MRMoCo has standardised on IP
control for all of its robotic range
with built-in features such as network
diagnostics, IP video encoding at the
camera head and localised user client
applications for full feature remote
control.
Automating camera motion in sports
can be achieved by using machine
vision to analyse ball and player
positions in real-time, feed those
positions to the robotic cameras
and automate the camera motion.
Advanced algorithms working in
real-time are used to frame the shots
in a ﬂuid and highly adaptive way
to provide this level of automation.
MRMoCo's Polycam Player, for
example, provides automation for
certain camera positions in football
using robotics.
"Integrating robotics in existing
workﬂows allows for the best of
both worlds - great storytelling and
emotive shots from manned camera
positions and consistency of coverage,
space saving and unique angles from
automated cameras," says Rawner.
"However, within any automated live
event camera workﬂow there needs
to be, in our experience, a level of a
human intervention that is seamless to
the operation."
Telemetrics - In-house designed and
locally built and tested at their facility
in the USA, Telemetrics manufactures
a comprehensive line of robotic
camera control panels, ceiling and
ﬂoor mounted Teleglide track systems,
Televator elevating pedestals, servocontrolled pan/tilt heads, and the
newly
introduced
OmniGlide
Roving Platform.
"Robotics empowers the user
to be more creative in how a

The PT-LP-S5
pan-tilt head system

Robotic: Polycam
Mo-Sys StarTracker

programme is produced and presented
to the audience, while also reducing
operational costs. It allows the user to
get the most value out of the resources
at hand," said Michael Cuomo, Vice
President at Telemetrics.
Mo-Sys offers an extensive range of
advanced camera robotics such as the
ViaDolly, which is a ﬂoor-based robotic
rail system that can be custom built
to any length and radius, either with
straight or curved rails allowing you
to explore the whole studio from one
end to the other. A barcode along the
rails provides accurate positional data
whilst a Shotbox touchscreen console
records and stores the positions and
movements for the dolly, head and the
lens to be recalled intuitively.
The ViaDolly is designed for a
payload of 120kg, enabling the
telescopic arm to perform smooth
vertical camera movements. The dolly
itself is strong and quiet, offering
a fast up-and-down travel range of
70cm. A unique rubber capped rail
provides a single continuous running

surface, reducing noise and removing
unwanted joint ripples.
Along with their B20 head and
real-time camera tracking tool,
StarTracker, Mo-Sys build their
systems with virtual sets in mind and
lends itself to long term installations
in TV studios such as Sky, who recently
had two ViaDolly systems installed at
their studio in Munich.
Ross Video offers a wide range of
robotic camera systems including
track-based dollies, free-roaming
pedestals, and standalone pan & tilt
solutions.
Furio Live, for example, has the
capacity to support full-sized cameras
and teleprompters (unlike most jibs
or other specialty camera systems)
giving it the ﬂexibility to deliver
beauty shots, while also serving as the
primary production camera. All Ross
studio robotic solutions communicate
natively over IP, making its robots easy
to implement and manage, simplifying
installation into new and existing
studios.
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.mrmoco.com/polycam/ https://vimeo.com/269639677 https://www.telemetricsinc.com/controllers/ https://www.telemetricsinc.com/pantilts/
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