Eli Manning Fumbles, Skycam Scores!
Last night I went to the new MetLife Stadium and watched the Giants loose horribly to the Eagles. As Manning failed to move the ball up the field, I couldn’t help eying Skycam zip down the end zone as Green scored another touchdown.
Skycam is a robotic camera system that flies across the stadium via a “computerized cable transport technology.” This is made possible by gigantic cables that are affixed to the corners of the stadium. The camera is 2 1/2 feet wide, weighing just under 30 lbs., which makes it very aerodynamic as it can speed by at 30 mph to cover the game from any angle, including 360 degrees with a 180 degree tilt.
People do not have to fear the camera smacking into their seats, as the Skycam uses an intelligent automatic obstacle avoidance system called Skypath to quickly analyzes its surroundings. Monitoring “over 80 sensor and performance-based parameters” Skypath provides real-time warnings and if necessary service interruptions.
Behind the curtain, Skycam is controlled by a Pilot-operator joystick command center that is backed up by 8 supporting cast members. These operators drive the camera through the “Reel”suspension lines to follow the ball from kick off to the final touchdown. The evolution of this technology is to replace the fumbling players with robots that can not only drive down the field, but record their dance moves in the end zone.
Hi there, just wanted to tell you, I liked this blog post. It was funny. Keep on posting!