French television viewers of the Rio Olympics were treated to robot enhanced camera work with Universal Robots’ partner Augmented Robotics, AR+. The company, located in Laval, France, joined a UR10 robot arm with its proprietary software for an operator-free camera solution where the camera can be mounted to either a gantry or dolly track system to work primarily in closed spaces or to perform precise, repetitive camera movements.
French television company, FTV used the system at the Rio de Janeiro Olympiad in both swimming and athletics competitions. Systems Integrator, X-D Motion installed the system with the assistance of AR+ CEO Pascal Gautier.
“The UR10 is the only arm we use because it can carry any camera weighing up to a balanced 8 kilograms. It is perfect for making wide shots, both simple or complex, as the robot is very accurate. It is quiet enough for broadcast operations. We added leather sleeves to the robot arm to allow application of a matte black finish for the broadcast environment,” said Mr. Gautier.
Why did FTV choose this solution? Were there any interesting developments in setting up the system that were surprising?
“The problem FTV had was the fact that their work space was really restricted, so they could not use a traditional crane. What is great with the UR10 is that it is compact. We fixed it on a trilight structure enabling every possible movement. The FTV director also appreciated the many possible trajectories for the robot that was enabled by our software. He never lost any quality, even in loop mode,” added Mr. Gautier.
