Mechatronic Controller for Tele-Operated Camera Platform

The New Zealand Film industry requires skilled operators to control the orientation of camera platforms. This is one of the crucial factors in producing movies with precision cinematography. Film footage of moving landscapes makes it difficult for the camera operator to efficiently operate the camera platform e.g. an inclined mountain terrain with surrounding trees and bushes. Such scenes require tele-operation of the camera platform. Tether tele-operation increases the time required to set-up the camera platform for the scene shoots, and hence increases the cost of making a movie. Tether connections limit the manner in which the camera platform can be mounted in order to achieve the best scene shooting. This paper reports on the project undertaken by the Mechatronics and Robotics Research Group at Massey University, in conjunction with the New Zealand film industry, on the development of wireless control for teleoperated camera platforms.