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Posts Tagged ‘Robotic’

Canon announces its new CR-S700R ‘Robotic Camera System’

10 Jan

Canon has introduced the CR-S700R, a ‘Robotic Camera System’ that allows operators to wirelessly zoom, pan, tilt and roll select EOS cameras for composing and capturing still image photography.

The system, which Canon suggests is designed for ‘sports photography and news media,’ pairs with the CR-G100 camera controller and works alongside Canon’s CR-A100 Camera Remote Application to ‘to control multiple cameras from a PC, display live-view images and remotely trigger a camera or simultaneously shoot with multiple cameras.’

No measurements are given, but based on the images, it’s clear this machine is large, as it manages to make an EOS 1-series body and 70–200mm F2.8 lens look small when attached. Canon says the system can follow ‘high-speed subjects and features a turning radius of up to 260mm.’

Canon IP camera controller CR-G100

At the time, the system only supports the 1D X Mark II and 1DX Mark III cameras when used with the following lenses:

EF 11–24mm F4L USM
EF 16–35mm F2.8L III USM
EF 24–70mm F2.8L II USM
EF 70–200mm F2.8L IS II USM
EF 24–105mm F4L IS II USM
EF 100–400mm F4.5–5.6L IS II USM

Based on the sole screenshot of the Camera Remote Application CR-A100 Canon has provided, it appears as though operators will be able to control over a dozen cameras at once, with the ability to edit nearly every setting the camera has to offer. There are even preset buttons, suggesting it’ll be possible to remotely capture multiple pre-composed shots with the click of a button.

While Canon surely expects other use-cases, the CR-S700R looks like the perfect system to use during this year’s 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Remote cameras are consistently used during Olympic events and having the ability to reposition and remotely control every aspect of the camera seems like a no-brainer for sports photographers and news agencies who want to get the best shots possible.

The Robotic Camera System CR-S700R and the Camera Remote Application CR-A100 are scheduled to be available ‘from mid-February 2020,’ according to Canon.

Press release:

Canon Introduces The CR-S700R Robotic Camera System Enabling The Remote Operation Of Select EOS Cameras And Lenses*

MELVILLE, NY, January 6, 2020 – Sports photography and news media require the use of remote photography extensively to capture still images from various viewpoints or angles that may not be achieved with conventional photography methods. Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solution, today announced the release of the Canon Robotic Camera System CR-S700R, a remote-control system for still image shooting. This system was developed to meet the needs of professional photographers to operate cameras remotely to shoot still images for the media and further represents Canon’s continued commitment to deliver convenient solutions.

The Canon Robotic Camera System CR-S700R revolves around a remote pan head that can be used to remotely control and shoot still images using a compatible EOS camera and lens*. This system includes a small and lightweight gateway box: the IP camera controller CR-G100. The CR-A100 Camera Remote Application (sold separately) enables users to control multiple cameras from a PC, display live-view images, and remotely trigger a camera or simultaneously shoot with multiple cameras.

Bring New Viewpoints for Professional Press and Sports Photographers
By using a center-type mechanism that rotates around a central axis perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens, the remote pan head can perform operations such as zooming, panning, tilting, and rolling of the attached camera in a small footprint with minimal shifting of weight and balance. The remote-control solution can be ideal to follow high-speed subjects and features a turning radius of up to 260mm. The focus on still image capture has made it possible to achieve a more compact and lightweight design, while the IP camera controller CR-G100 helps eliminate complicated and bulky wired connections, meaning one person can operate multiple cameras. The PC software (licensed with the Robotic Camera System CR-S700R) is also available separately to control a camera using the IP camera controller CR-G100, streamlining the workflow of still image shooting at the news site.

Availability
The Robotic Camera System CR-S700R and the Camera Remote Application CR-A100 are scheduled to be available from mid-February 2020**. For more information, please contact your local Canon pro-market representative or regional sales manager.

† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

* Compatible cameras are the EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS-1D X Mark III. Compatible interchangeable lenses are EF 11-24mm F4L USM, EF 16-35mm F2.8L III USM, EF 24-70mm F2.8L II USM, EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS II USM, EF 24-105mm F4L IS II USM, and EF 100-400mm F4.5 -5.6L IS II USM.

** Availability and specification are subject to change without notice.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Rhino Arc II 4-axis robotic camera system supports 15lb camera payloads

17 Nov

Rhino has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its new Rhino Arc II, a “robotic camera assistant” designed to replace a fluid head. The Arc II features a 4-axis motorized head with support for both tripods and the Rhino Slider, as well as up to 6.8kg/15lbs of camera equipment. Users have both joystick and mobile control options.

Rhino Arc II supports LightLapse, Interview, Keyframe, and Rack modes for smooth camera movements in a variety of filming scenarios. The robotic assistant supports Rhino Focus and the High Torque & High Speed Motor as optional tools for expanded capabilities.

The system is also backwards compatible with the Rhino EVO Motor and Slider EVO. When used with an optional Rhino Power dummy battery, Arc II offers integrated power output for mirrorless and DSRL cameras. Other features include an integrated 501 plate receiver, an OLED screen, and a pan motor for motorized mounting.

Rhino is offering the Arc II to Kickstarter backers who pledge at least $ 960 USD, a $ 240 discount over the anticipated retail price. The campaign also offers other rewards for backers, including the Rhino Slider Carbon, Slider Pro, and Rhino Arc II + Slider bundles. Shipping is expected to start in May 2019. To dine out more information and to make a pledge, head over to the Kickstarter campaign.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Meeting Owl robotic video offers 360-degree views of conferences

22 Jun

Owl Labs, a startup backed by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, has launched a new camera called the Meeting Owl. This 360-degree camera is designed specifically for companies and groups, enabling them to hold video conferences without the burden of manually operating the cameras. The Owl does the hard work itself, automatically focusing the video feed on the person who is talking. Oh, and guess what it looks like? Yep, an adorable, productivity-increasing owl.

The device features a 360-degree camera on the top of its cylindrical body, as well as a total of 8 omnidirectional beam-forming microphones for capturing audio from all directions. The combination of the two enables Owl to capture everyone around a table at the same time, presenting viewers with a full view of the conference room. The camera shifts focus onto whomever is speaking, and presents split-views if multiple people are engaging in a conversation. The microphones isolate important noise from unwanted ambient sounds.

Owl Labs has designed its conferencing camera to work with major video conferencing platforms, including Slack, Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom, and GoToMeeting; the camera is plug-and-play via a USB cable. According to the company’s website, ‘limited quantities’ of the Meeting Owl are available at this time, with shipping starting within the next four weeks. The camera is priced at $ 799.

Via: The Verge

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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StyleShoots Live robotic photography studio uses AI to shoot and process photos

24 Feb

A new robotic ‘smart studio’ device aims to increase brands’ photography efficiency and productivity by replacing, to a certain degree, professional human photographers with artificial intelligence and a robotic camera/lighting system. Called StyleShoots Live, this smart studio is equipped with robotic lighting, a Canon 1DX Mark II camera, and machine intelligence for shooting, processing and exporting photos and video automatically.

StyleShoots, the Dutch company behind the smart studio, unveiled the product on Wednesday, saying it is ‘designed to create instantly edited video and stills for fashion lifestyle and eCommerce shoots in minutes.’ This is made possible via a large steel enclosure in which a model is posed. A variety of technologies then make technical decisions, adjusting lighting and camera settings as necessary to shoot content that matches brand-specified customized styles.

The resulting content is automatically processed, including things like cropping images to certain aspect ratios or stitching together multiple videos. The final content can then be reviewed by the human in charge and, if approved, exported for various platforms. A human is given control over the entire process via a built-in iPad Pro with a Live View mode of the model.

Speaking about the smart studio, StyleShoots’ Head of Product Anders Jorgensen said:

‘Fashion brands need to keep their customers engaged with fresh content every day – and video shared on social media is the most powerful form of storytelling. To keep up with the continuous demand, StyleShoots Live creates stills and video ready for publishing on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and websites within minutes – without any manual editing or post production.’

Of course, such a studio raises concerns about technology and its potential ability to replace human photographers with machines. In response to that concern, StyleShoots explained in a long FAQ sheet that it didn’t design its smart studio to be a replacement for humans. ‘To run a fashion shoot,’ the company explained, ‘you need a creative eye to compose the shot, pose the model and style the clothes — a robot can’t do that (yet).’

Source: StyleShoots

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The Brave New World of Robotic Pizza Delivery is Almost Here

19 Jul

[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

robot food delivery

Thus far, the 21st century has been pretty disappointing for those of us who grew up expecting flying cars, teleportation devices and recreational trips to the moon by the time we were adults. While there were some things sci-fi films like Back to the Future got right – including video calls, flat-screen televisions, wearable technology and biometrics – nobody short of a billionaire villain type actually has a robotic butler that can bring them food at the push of a button. But if you live in London, you will soon be able to access the next best thing: dinner delivery via a six-wheeled droid.

food droid 2

Starship Technologies, which is run by two Skype co-founders, is partnering with London food delivery startups Just Eat and Pronto to send what essentially look like wheeled coolers through the streets, dropping off meals to customers within a 2-3 mile radius. Tests will also be carried out in Dusseldorf, Germany, and in Starship’s home city of Tallinn, Estonia. This is on top of 5,000 miles of previous testing in places like Glastonbury, where the bots have “met over 400,000 people without a single accident,” but this is the first time they’ll be delivering food to actual paying customers. Starship is expected to announce rollouts in the U.S. in the coming months.

robot food delivery 4

Is it really the next best thing to a robot butler, though? The first question that pops into many people’s heads when reading about this technology is whether somebody can just kick that self-driving droid around a little bit and steal your food for themselves. It’s a fair question. Starship says for these first test drives, the bots won’t be fully automatic – the company will monitor their progress remotely and take over if anything goes awry.

robot food delivery 3

food droid

The zero-emissions delivery bots sense obstacles in their path and navigate around pedestrians, getting out of the way as necessary, as seen in the video above. Not just anyone can access what’s inside, either. The customer who ordered the food has to use an app on their phone to open it, ensuring that the robot doesn’t just roll up to somebody else who lives in your apartment building and give them your pad thai.

[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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Google Art Camera uses robotic system to take gigapixel photos of museum paintings

19 May

The Google Cultural Institute, an online virtual museum with high-quality digitizations of artifacts from across the globe, recently added more than 1,000 ultra-high-resolution images of classic paintings and other artwork by Monet, Van Gogh and many others. A new robotic camera system Google has developed called ‘Art Camera’ has made it possible for the organization to add digitizations faster than ever before.

Previously, Google’s collection included only about 200 digitizations, accumulated over approximately five years. Art Camera, after being calibrated to the edges of a painting or document by its operator, automatically takes close-up photos of paintings one section at a time, using a laser and sonar to precisely adjust the focus. This process results in hundreds of images that are then sent to Google, where they’re stitched together to produce a single gigapixel-resolution photo.

Instead of taking the better part of a day to photograph an item, as the old technology did, Art Camera can complete the process in less than an hour; speaking to The Verge, Cultural Institute’s Marzia Niccolai said a 1m x 1m painting can be processed in half an hour. Google has built 20 Art Cameras and is shipping them to museums around the world for free, enabling the organizations to digitize their artwork and documents. The resulting gigapixel images can be viewed here.

Via: Google Official Blog

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Robotic Delivery: 6-Wheeled Drones Set to Roll Out in London

20 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

drone bots streets london

With all the focus on flying drones, grounded versions can fly under the radar, like the bot driving this latest business from the co-founders of Skype. Facilitating robotic deliveries in London, Starship Technologies aims to advance driverless automation in smaller steps, beating autonomous car companies to getting driver-free wheels on the ground in England.

drone real street delivery

The little driverless electric vehicles that will be making the rounds are six-wheeled rovers just over 20 inches tall and able to be packed with a sizable load of goods for short shipments.

drone on sidewalk

Customers simply select items online, pick from delivery windows, then track progress on an app and tap on their logged-in device to open the lid when their shipment of stuff arrives.

drone open hatch

Cruising at just four miles per hour, it remains to be seen how they will handle even sidewalk foot traffic, let alone road crossings. Its creators also presumably anticipate that a watchful public (and CCTV cameras) will help keep the little drones safe on their journeys. However, the bots can also directly relay distress signals to the police in an emergency or be remotely operated by human pilots as needed.

drone london open

They also come with an antennae that both helps with wireless connectivity but also provides visibility beyond each drone’s natural height.

drone neighborhood deliveries

“Our vision revolves around three zeroes – zero cost, zero waiting time and zero environmental impact,” say the founders. “We want to do to local deliveries what Skype did to telecommunications.”

drone bot delivery vehicle

So far the robots have only been tested indoors (interoffice experiments), but the company aims to hit the streets (or at least sidewalks) next year.

drone remote delivery street

It is in many ways an attempt to solve the ever-vexing ‘last mile’ problem: “The last few miles often amounts to the majority of the total delivery cost.”

drone robot delivery service

“Our robots are purposely designed using the technologies made affordable by mobile phones and tablets – it’s fit for purpose, and allows for the cost savings to be passed on to the customer.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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Posted in Creativity

Rise of Robotic Graffiti: Drone Vandal Sprays Paint in Midair

06 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

drone graffiti

In what appears to be the first recorded work of public aerial drone vandalism, this off-the-shelf quadcopter was hacked to hold and use a can of spray paint, forever transforming the landscape of potential graffiti targets (image above by Arthur Holland Michel).

Attacking a giant Calvin Klein ad in the heart of New York City, this modified Phantom drone sprayed red paint on the face of model Kendall Jenner, able to fly up to and hover around the area of application much faster (then escape much easier) than a human ever could, finished in under a minute. Robot-made murals and computer-generated street art are nothing new, but putting them in the sky could change everything.

spray paint test aerial

The artist behind this intervention, KATSU, has been exprimenting with drone-mounted spray cans for some time now in controlled indoor environments, but wanted to show the potential for his work to reach places inaccessible to humans.

Created with Nokia Smart Cam

More proof of concept than finished piece, this particular work of graffiti was difficult to accomplish, with a great deal of effort put into stabilizing the aerial robot – creating a tag with any kind of precision using this method would be effectively impossible.

spray painting drone

Per Wired, though, the implications are bigger than this test: “Given the enduring privacy, safety, and legal concerns around the technology, conceptually it makes a certain amount of sense that it would find uses at the peripheries of what most people (let alone the law) would consider acceptable. KATSU’s scribble high above SoHo might not look like much, but it represents the potential that drones have to transform graffiti forever.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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4D Printing: Programmable Robotic Self-Assembling Materials

09 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

3d printed wood robots

Imagine a shelter that unfolds itself in the rain, flat-pack furniture that deploys without instructions or tools when exposed to water or a temperature-sensitive spoiler for your sports car that bends and twists as you race and turn – thanks to MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, all of these designs may now be within reach.

shape shifting elephant toy

This reactive approach adds a new dimension to objects made of wood, metal, carbon fiber and other materials, each fabricated according to patterns that in turn react to external inputs like low-tech robots. These creations can transform in shape, dynamic and responsive to customizable cues and environmental conditions – heat, cold, dryness and wetness can all be turned into catalysts for a conversion.

shape changing carbon fiber

Dubbed “four-dimensional printing” by Skylar Tibbits (Research Scientist in MIT’s Department of Architecture) due to the added element of time, this material strategy has proposed applications in various fields ranging from domestic (self-assembling furniture and toys) to vehicular (car spoilers and aircraft wings). Imagine as well, though, apparel that shifts to block rain or allows wind to cool you, or buildings that likewise open to ventilate or let in light and heat based on the weather.

shape change carbon fiber

The leap here is as much conceptual and experimental as it is intrinsically revolutionary. As Wired reports, “The tools Tibbits and company use are not especially novel. In the case of the carbon fiber projects, the manufacturing process is thoroughly two-dimensional. The team starts with a carbon fiber roll that follows the typical warp and weft pattern. A secondary material, formulated in Tibbit’s lab to respond to changes in temperature, is spot-printed on the mesh using a CNC gantry. As the carbon fiber is exposed to heat, the temperature-sensitive material changes shape and causes the sheet to deform in ways specified by the designer.”

shape changing wood robot

More on MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab: “Self-Assembly is a process by which disordered parts build an ordered structure through local interaction. We have demonstrated that this phenomenon is scale-independent and can be utilized for self-constructing and manufacturing systems at nearly every scale. We have also identified the key ingredients for self-assembly as a simple set of responsive building blocks, energy and interactions that can be designed within nearly every material and machining process available. Self-assembly promises to enable breakthroughs across every applications of biology, material science, software, robotics, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure, construction, the arts, and even space exploration. The Self-Assembly Lab is working with academic, commercial, nonprofit, and government partners, collaborators, and sponsors to make our self-assembling future a reality.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

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Robotic Printer Creates Artist’s Portrait Using His Blood

28 Aug

[ By Steph in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

Robotic Blood Printer 1

Blood streams from Ted Lawson‘s arm into a CNC printer, which uses it like ink or paint to robotically create the Brooklyn-based artist’s image. ‘Ghost in the Machine’ is a life-sized nude self-portrait rendered in just about the most graphic way possible, the whole process captured on video as an alarming amount of blood is applied to a blank white surface.

Robotic Blood Painting 2

Visibly drained by the process, Lawson sits beside the machine as it works, replenishing himself with juice as his blood streams out in little squiggles. At first, the image is abstract, slowly coming together as the robot follows the guidelines of the illustration.

Robotic Blood Painting 3

“I’m generally not into doing selfies, particularly nude ones, but when I came up with the idea to connect my blood directly to the robot (CNC machine), it just made too much sense to not try one as a full nude self-portrait,” Lawson told the Associated Press.

Robotic Blood Painting 4

“In this series I’m really just trying to make a good drawing, which requires a lot of process and spontaneity to achieve. I do consider these works to be drawings and not prints, in that I allow the robot to make certain mistakes or leave in certain glitches on purpose.”

Robotic Blood Painting 5

The final print will be on display at the Joseph Gross Gallery in New York City from September 11th through October 4th as part of Lawson’s solo exhibition, “The Map Is Not the Territory.”

360Photography

Posts Tagged ‘Robotic’

Canon announces its new CR-S700R ‘Robotic Camera System’

Canon Introduces The CR-S700R Robotic Camera System Enabling The Remote Operation Of Select EOS Cameras And Lenses*

Rhino Arc II 4-axis robotic camera system supports 15lb camera payloads

Meeting Owl robotic video offers 360-degree views of conferences

StyleShoots Live robotic photography studio uses AI to shoot and process photos

The Brave New World of Robotic Pizza Delivery is Almost Here

Google Art Camera uses robotic system to take gigapixel photos of museum paintings

Robotic Delivery: 6-Wheeled Drones Set to Roll Out in London

Rise of Robotic Graffiti: Drone Vandal Sprays Paint in Midair

4D Printing: Programmable Robotic Self-Assembling Materials

Robotic Printer Creates Artist’s Portrait Using His Blood

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Posts Tagged ‘Robotic’

Canon Introduces The CR-S700R Robotic Camera System Enabling The Remote Operation Of Select EOS Cameras And Lenses*

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