
- Lightweight (aluminium frame)
- Object tracking capabilities
- Ready to be attached to a tripod
- Movement speed variable in real time from the smartphone
- Free control App for Android and iOS devices
- Delayed start (15 sec): get enough time to place your smartphone on the moving platform.
- Suitable for GOPRO/ DSLR/SLR cameras/ any smartphone.
- Minimum moving speed: 0.01 mm/sec (perfect for time lapsed videos)
- Open Source / Arduino based: the code, 3D parts and electronics are 100% Open. Feel free to modify everything if you need to.
- Can be easily adapted to any aluminium profile length.
First, a glance at its capabilities:
Info provided to the robot (via the smartphone APP Android or iOS ):
- Distance from the object to the rail
- Distance from the object to the camera when it started to move
With these two values, the Arduino will be capable of knowing the camera position according to the object to track just calculating the arc-tangent. Easy!
Above: The robot know where the camera carriage is all the time (actually, it is in charge of moving the platform).
So, if you provide the X and Y coordinates of the target’s location, the robot has enough information to calculate the arctangent and accordingly, move the motors making the camera to point at the target
The speed and start/stop actions are controlled from your own smartphone (Android or iOS): For this, the smartphone has to be connected to the robot´s WIFI network. More details below.As the speed can be adjusted as desired (from the smartphone), you can move the “camera carriage” as slow as desired, making possible to create TIME LAPSE videos.
Below: In this case 1) a trunk, 2 meters away from the rail ,has been filmed for 5 hours (aprox). 2) A forest, with an imaginary point to be tracked which has been set 6 meters away from the rail (and has been recorded for 6 hours)
Below: another examples of the camera travelling along the rail and at the same time panning as it moves
Below: Time-lapse. An object has been placed very close to the rail and the camera is capable to keep it in the centre even after 2 hours taking photos (1380 shots)
Below: Time-lapse. Sand pile. Distance from rail: 30 cms. 982 camera shots
INTERACTIVE 3D MODEL
Feel free to take a look at the 3D model of the Camera Slider. It will help you to get an idea of how all the elements come together. In the model, the CAMERA SLIDER mounts a rail of 700 mm (default)
CONTROL APP
The control APP if freely available at Google Play or iTunes Store (click on the images below). It has been created to control, in a simple way, the camera slider. It will allow you to move the platform with almost any camera on top, with a predetermined speed. This speed can be modified in real time for cool video effects. By default (the limits can be changed in the Arduino code), the travelling speed of the platform can be set from 0.01 mm/sec to 35 mm/sec
Image below: a brief explanation of the controls of this APP. We recommend you to go to the CONTROL APP USER GUIDE to get the most of it.
Useful LINKS:
Control APP link (Google Play / Android devices)
Control APP link (iTunes / iOS devices)
Arduino CODE: info about how to upload to the Arduino board in the Assembly guide