
Modern robotics hits Hollywood. IRIS: The most advanced camera rig ever created. - MatBailey
http://www.alexandrosmaragos.com/2012/06/bot-and-dolly.html
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Lewton
This, mixed with drones with cameras like the ones used here:
<http://vimeo.com/36341233> makes some pretty exciting cinematography possible

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pawelwentpawel
thanks for the link, looks great! If you want a video of the drone itself take
a look in here - <http://www.omstudios.de/OMCOPTER-Flying-Epic>

Looks impressive

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drone
There are also some nice, human-controlled (although I believe they can be
automated using stuff from DIY Drones) open-source units from Quadrocopter:
<http://www.quadrocopter.us/>

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duiker101
A couple of days ago on reddit this was posted:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKC6j7pW6T0>

It's kind of similar and really interesting. The precision, speed and strength
of this robots always amazed me.

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patrickk
That video is incredibly cool. Thanks for sharing.

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henrikeh
This kind of reminds me of the Danish Christmas calendar (a TV-show with an
episode for each day in December until the 24th). In this show all characters
were played by the same actor, Anders Matthesen[1], a Danish stand-up
comedian, actor and rapper. The show was named "Jul på Vesterbro" and in many
of the shots characters sit side-by-side and interact. Along with this, there
were camera movements and minor visual and sound effects. To do this, the
camera was mounted on a robotic arm which could move in the precisely same
way. For each scene and for each character, Matthesen would do the acting and
then in the editing room they would cut the performances together.

I can't really find any sources on it, I only remember a Danish documentary
about the creation of the show.

[1]: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Matthesen>

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tintin
Here some action: <http://www.botndolly.com/media#/medium/15>

I think it's very scary standing next to a moving robot that close. It doesn't
stop when you get in the way. Hope someone is holding a emergency stop button.

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dsr_
If you've got the right sensors, any unexpected resistance could be used as a
trigger to stop motion faster than any human could do it.

The SawStop system does it with electrical conductivity, but feedback from
servos will do as well.

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tintin
I don't think the feedback of the servos will detect a human body part. These
servos are very very strong. Maybe when it hit the concrete it will skip a
step noticeable in the feedback but that's about it.

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exolab
<http://vimeo.com/43455552>

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petenixey
This is stunning. I've so much respect for people so young drawing so much
know-how and expertise together into one team. Brilliant video

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arethuza
I think one of the comments on that video sums it up nicely:

"I'm pretty sure this is the closest my eyes have come to having sex. That.
was. AMAZING!"

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Qworg
I wrote a few comments earlier about this device, but I thought I'd try and
sum up my thoughts on it in one post.

This is terribly dangerous. Thus far, they've been lucky - nobody has done
something wrong or stupid. That said, it cannot last. Putting industrial
robots like this on a moving track, and then putting them close to humans at
high speed is a recipe for disaster. This system has a 6 meter by track length
operating envelope and moves over 4 meters per second. It also has control
over 110kg of material - putting its weight in the 2000kg range (minus the
track).

There are safety systems available, but none that are commercialized that will
allow humans and robots like this to exist in incredibly close proximity with
any expectation of safety. Some of the recent research we completed at
Carnegie Mellon points to a future where this is possible:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Xc4yq-rz0>

But we're not there yet.

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derda
I saw a similar safety-system at Hanover industrial fair a few months ago. So
they are already being sold.

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Qworg
I'd love to see it! Can you send me some details via email (in my profile)?

Thanks!

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derda
Sadly I dont remember the details anymore. I can just remember that the system
was by a german company and judging by how it behaved was still in a kind of
beta-stadium.

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phn
I know it's a little off-topic. But that camera looks a lot like GLaDOS from
Portal, looking right at me.

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mistercow
That's because both are descended from a common ancestor. GLaDOS is designed
to look like contemporary robots, and IRIS is clearly very much based on
existing robot designs used in manufacturing, like this one:
[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Automatio...](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Automation_of_foundry_with_robot.jpg)

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sammyo
Animators have used motion control rigs for decades, they had the same range
of motion but were optimized for extremely slow but the incredibly accurate
registration required for repeated animation shots. The lightness of
contemporary cameras also is a significant advantage.

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mitjak
Reminds me of Garbage's "Breaking Up The Girl":
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFHmn22PkKU>

and how it enjoys making the camera rig an active participant in the video.

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wojtczyk
This is a huge Kuka robot. While Kukas have a good position-precision they are
not the best in motion-precision. However this is used for motion/action/movie
recording. Unless Kuka improved the servoes and gears, I doubt it will produce
much usable material. My friend tried it with Kukas first and ended up using
Stäublis with modified gears. [http://www.rtleaders.com/de/broadcasting-
automation/robokam-...](http://www.rtleaders.com/de/broadcasting-
automation/robokam-7/)

Nevertheless safety is still an issue. In this regard "hits Hollywood" nails
it.

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pezh0re
Did anyone check out the Kungfu demo? Is that Keanu Reeves?

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Sottilde
Looks like he's gone full-on sad Keanu. Which is too bad, I'd be a lot happier
if I had one of those cameras. That thing has some really incredible reach. I
wonder how it's controlled and how they make sure it doesn't collide with the
actors?

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Qworg
They likely don't make sure it doesn't collide with anyone. There MAY be some
local safety systems in place, like virtual light curtains and exclusion
zones...

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jonknee
If you're filming a kung foo scene, you're already very careful to not collide
with who you're "fighting". I don't see how this would be any different other
than the robot is perfect and your opposing actor is not.

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Qworg
Your opposing human actor is not 2000kg and moving at 4+ m/s...

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follower
"Hollywood, meet Detroit." <\-- I'm pretty sure that doesn't have the
implication in my mind you wanted it to have. :)

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drone
It's an interesting competitor for Mark Robert's Milo. Smaller slider/dolly
and pan/tilt companies come out of the woodworks right now and are very
popular accesories, there're even a couple of small open-source shops in the
industry. Obviously none on that scale though. (Dynamic Perception, eMotimo,
etc.)

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sitkack
Damn this thing is dangerous. It should never be within its most extended
position away from people.

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gvb
After replacing the camera operators, they will need to replace the actors
with robots too, because those darn humans aren't repeatable enough.

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robomartin
This is nothing new. Special effects companies have been using MOCO rigs
(Motion Control) for decades.

I worked on some of this hardware many moons ago. One such rig was a cartesian
robot the size of an entire warehouse. It was used to fly a camera over (and
through) a miniature mockup of a city. The rig had XYZ axis that were measured
in tens of feet and the end-effector (where the camera was mounted) had
various rotation and translation capabilities as well as computer control of
focus and other camera functions.

I was also on set for some software tests of a rig used on an Arnold
Schwarzenegger movie. It was impressive to see this rig programmatically
approach the actor at high speed on a rail system while the camera was going
through various programmed motions. The thing was easily over 500lbs. They had
massive stop blocks at the end of the track prevent a run-away condition and
protect the actors.

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drone
Agreed, one trip around NAB will show you a lifetime's worth of imagining on
cinematic robots. I think the interesting thing they've done here is tie
everything in together with a single point control that's perhaps nicer than
Flair. Of course, it's also competing with an endless array of multi-million
dollar systems - so I'm not sure how exactly this one stands above the fray,
except maybe getting written up in HN =)

