Robotic Camera Platform

I'm working on a robotic platform...with the twist being that it is geared towards photography/video work.
it's 24 volt wheelchair motors (wheelbase shortened and narrowed) provide good access to most places indoors and out.
It has both ac inverter, 12 volt dc (cigarette plugs) power.
laptop, printer, battery chargers for aa's, and cameras.
storage for camera accesories.
magic arms, to hold lights and accesories.
Networked cameras (anybody remember my earlier efforts to web enable canon g5/pro one?) for remote picture taking.
live video feeds.
auto type security system.

Any other ideas or suggestions on what might make this usefull for photography?

just whatever you do don't have it plugged in for recharging in a lightning storm

Number 5 is alive!!

Don,

You are truly the Heath Robinson of the photographic world.

Keep it up.

G

My sons would love this
Matt

yeah my kids too.
the one in the photo, is proto/test bed.
the newer one is more box like, but it fits everything better, and is stable, as a tripod, and moves fairly smoothly for video (motorized dolly).
fits in my van and will hold 200 lbs of gear!
with the computer and lcd tv (running my ad for free advertising), is sort of a home entertainment/ digital media center on wheels.

when I get more money I'll be adding some sensors, and a robotic arm to program it to do some interesting video cam movements. but adding pic controllers and programming will take more time than I have right now...but it's comming.

Are you going to enter it into "Robot Wars"

What's it for?

I presume it can be progammed to mow down kanikon users!

ROFL; does that mean he has to upgrade it with twin linked machine guns

Hi Don,

something I was thinking of, for a remote camera (I don't think I thought of it myself, but I can't remember) was to use the guts from an electric mirror from a car, with an extended cable to the joystick, as a tripod head. That way you'll a have full (if slightly limited in movement) three way head, remotely operated..

..and if you leave the heater connected to the main battery, you can keep the camera warm if it snows.

Cheers

Liam

You could build a rotating wheel to go in front of the lens that holds filters.

Attach a motor to the wheel and it rotates to place the desired filter in front of the lens.

Use a cheap remote control unit from say a RC car to control it.

Thank you Liam I've already got that built...Great minds wander alike...
I'm sure national secuirity (CSIS) has got me on a list, as I've been hunting down mercury rocker switches from old thermostats.
I'm building it to have two modes...manual, and self leveling.

Rodger thought about that one too....I've got a robot I built with my daughter, (2 wheeled, tankdrive steering, soccker player), which I'll connect to a PIC controller to the usb port on my laptop to control the zoom ring of the lens from inside an underwater housing (built from pvc pipe and plexi).
thought I'd have one wheel doing the zoom, and the other geared to slide a nd filter.

both of those projects are not to be attached to the robot til next fall.

I'm building a crane type, boom arm with power window motors to hold it all.
the arm is gonna cost more than the robot...because it's gotta be smart and programmable to handle video camera movements without bumping any obsticles.

You've got too much time on your hands...

Dan

We'll all have too much time on our hands when robots replace human photographers....javascript:emoticon('')