Ever so often something catches my eye, especially if it’s regarding AI or Robots and I just have to share it on my blog.
This time, it’s another robot, but not the kind of robot that we’re used to seeing. It’s a camera robot that was first talked about on Marques Brownlee’s YouTube channel. You should definitely check out his channel by the way as he’s done some awesome tech videos on there.
In his video, Marques flew out to Portland, Oregon to a company called Motorized Precision to check out what he calls “cinema robots”. They look a bit like the robots that manufacture autos (cars in the UK) except that they have a camera mounted on the end of them as apposed to metal claws, drills or welding equipment.
If you’re a fan of creating home videos, YouTube videos or in fact any kind of video, then you’ll really appreciate the tech involved here.
If you’re not aware of video technology then, as Marques explains, there are a variety of tools and devices out there which allow us humans to move cameras when shooting a scene. However, there are some more complicated movements that these devices simply cannot achieve.
Enter KIRA.
KIRA is a motorized robotic camera that is able to move in ways that are so precise that the shots they produce look computer generated which no human being would be able to pull off – despite current technology.
And that is why it has been used in car videos, commercials for tech products and even a commercial for Dr Pepper!
The robot itself is about 9 feet tall, made completely of metal and can move at a speed of 9 feet per second in any direction thanks two fully-articulating axes. The robot can also carry a camera up to 40 pounds in weight, which is amazing!
To control the robot manually you use an Xbox controller which can be used to move the robot arm in any direction you like. You can also move the robot in a pre-programmed configuration using the software called MP Studio.
I have to say the example shots in Brownlee’s video are nothing short of incredible and the way the robot moves is so fluid and precise – so be sure to check out the video below for yourself.
Marques points out at the end of the video that these type of robots don’t often get bought, but are rented instead, probably because they’re prohibitively expensive.
I’d love to give this thing a go though, even if it’s just to get an awesome selfie! 