As automation kicks into higher gear, we’re seeing more and more interesting developments in the world of automated camera control. And although it’s early days, this concept from Filmpower Inc. is definitely one to keep an eye one.
The firm has already debuted its Orvi robotic arm – an artificially intelligent robotic video arm with a built-in gimbal for smooth camera movement. Despite all its moving parts it’s fairly light – weighing 10kg by itself, with a maximum load capacity of 4kg. It’s designed to replicate the functionality of a tripod, a slide and a jib, all in one package. It can be controlled manually or have routines set for it, via a dedicated app for your phone or the Bluetooth controller supplied with it.
You can see a video of the Orvi in action here, with a quick rundown of how it works. The firm expects to see it released next year.
However, it appears the testers have been taking their concept a step further. In an enigmatic video posted on Facebook, Filmpower Inc. have shown the Orvi arm attached to a wheeled smart mobility platform, making for an 8-axis camera control system. You can watch it below.
In the video we see both the platform and the arm moving independently while the mounted DSLR pans downwards and to the right. While we have only a glimpse of how it might work at this stage, the possibilities for programming complex sequences, especially with multiple cameras in tandem, are very exciting indeed.
PGN reached out to Filmpower for more information, and the company told us that while this technology is still in development, more information is expected to be released soon.
We’re excited to see what this setup can do, and hope to see more soon. We’ll update this page with any new information we receive, so check back.