Dynamic Target Tracking Camera Can Follow Fast Moving Objects

When I first saw this video, my jaw was hanging open. This new dynamic target tracking camera is absolutely outstanding, capable of following extremely fast moving objects as well as able to project images on fast moving objects. It's something out of science fiction, and I love it.

"Ordinarily, to change the direction a camera faces, you move the camera mechanically. But in this system, it's not the camera that moves, it's the mirrors. This makes it possible to change where you're looking really quickly. In this demonstration, we're tracking a table tennis ball. The ball moves extremely fast, but this system can keep compensating for the ball's motion, so the ball stays in the middle of the image."

high speed camera 2

high speed camera 3

high speed camera 1

This device consists of two mirrors for pan and tilt, and a group of lenses that can be controlled down to the millisecond. Each of the mirrors can move independently so that it can continue to follow high speed objects accurately regardless of the size of the actual camera used.

Oh, and like I mentioned earlier, it can project images onto those fast moving objects as well.

Amazing. Thanks to Sandro for the tip!

For more, check out diginfo.tv.

Jaron Schneider's picture

Jaron Schneider is an Fstoppers Contributor and an internationally published writer and cinematographer from San Francisco, California. His clients include Maurice Lacroix, HD Supply, SmugMug, the USAF Thunderbirds and a host of industry professionals.

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22 Comments

mind = blown!

So cool.

Wow!

yea its cool until they implement it into a HUMAN KILLING ROBOT. let see you try and get away from that.

Oh snap.

Ugh! Its liking playing against a perfect sim in Perfect Dark on N64. Anyone?!

Is it sad I used to play perfect sims 10 on 1 at one point in my young life? Oh, how times changes.

ya only one use for that a, "DEFENSE SYSTEM" with a first strike(OFFENSIVE) capability, they'll call it....

WOW! I wonder if they could apply such a concept of using mirrors to for image stabilization in video cameras much like what the MoVI does.

Now we're talking!

The MoVI can also correct for shift (parallax) and tilt, this only does panning. I can't see how you would use mirrors to correct for roll (not that in-lens IS does this, but the MoVI does).

That is pretty rad.

It is not the spoon that bends...

mind is blown!! Pew!

Dude! I am always floored by technological advances like this, so amazing to see small groups coming up with unreal progress in this world when you think there isn't room more improvement. Great post!!

God just imagine the kickoff in football. Soccer and tennis matches would be really cool with this.

Cool, but seems like 1: old tech just not being put to use and 2: an old way of thinking.

On a small, or high speed scale this makes sense, but the new way of thinking seems more on the like post processing large sensors and tracking an object. Then you could track multiple objects at once because you are merely using a much larger format.

Still cool though.

While you can track multiple objects, you'd still need to apply some heuristic on what object(s) you'd want to follow.
Assuming i understand you correctly: remember that larger format pixel counts = more data to analyze = slower computation time. The mirror approach neatly avoids this, since you're not moving a cropped frame.

japan=nuff said

The technology is really nothing new. It's being used in the medical field, particularly in LASIK treatment of refractive conditions where an array of mirrors does the job in tracking a moving eye during the treatment process, thus ensuring more precise treatments of the eye.

Advertising coming to a basketball / baseball / football near you...

I'm dizzy.

Just came back from a rocket competition in Utah, and THIS would have been awesome for lauch pad video!!!