perfect for live sports broadcasting as they are compact enough to prevent obscuring advertising and spectator or photographer sightlines. “Robotics aren’t at the point where they can fully replace humans. Instead of removing humans entirely from OB, their roles are simply changing. For example, instead of manually running a camera, teams are manning joysticks on virtual cameras. “Robotics can’t predict the unknown, and with live sports broadcasting having so many nuances, humans still need to be present. However, OB has become much more seamless thanks to evolutions in robotic technology. While it’s unlikely producers and directors will be completely replaced by robotics, their jobs should become easier, with much more flexibility on location.” Spiideo CEO Patrik Olsson recently appeared with Wilfred Frost on Sky News’ Ian King Live . The interview discussed Spiideo’s AI cameras, automatic production and video analysis platform. Olsson and Frost covered the future of sports and how technology is driving the sporting world into new territory – from rights holders to leagues to teams. “Essentially, what we do is automate the process of capturing and producing sports on video, removing the need for a camera operator and big sports production studios. We can still produce content that is rich and has audio commentary, overlays, sponsor graphics, scoreboard etc, but without any human interaction. “We reduce the cost of production from thousands of dollars per game to just a few dollars per game. That opens up entirely new markets that have not been available before. We can now enable millions of games to be available online to viewers who were not able to watch these games in the past,” says Olsson. “Our partnerships are mostly with rights holders. There is a movement across the world now where the media rights for mid-level sports are being acquired, and that is because we have automated production so we can lower the cost of the production. Then – all of a sudden – you can do pay-per-view, sponsored concerts, ads and things like that to monetise those rights. “A good example of this is one of our customers in Minnesota who does 20,000 high school ice hockey games per season, and they do that with a team of five people. So every weekend, hundreds of games are running, all automatically produced, and made available to the entire ice hockey community in Minnesota,” he concludes. ROBOTICS AREN’T AT THE POINT WHERE THEY CAN FULLY REPLACE HUMANS
expression possibilities by placing the jib above the subject with the freedom of a 360° arm rotation. NBC Sports coverage deployed the Jitacam with a Shotover G1 head combined with AR and ball- tracing technology to cover the final tee shot. A FlyCam ran a span of 225 yards from the 16th green to the buildout behind the 17th hole to showcase the spectacle of the island green, with a Bunker Cam inside the bunker at the notorious par three. An Atlas Cam depth-of-field camera was deployed to focus on specific cameras walking from shot to shot, plus both a live drone and fixed-wing airplane provided aerial coverage from above TPC Sawgrass golf course. MACHINE PERSPECTIVES According to Brian Allen, head of product design and development at CP Cases, robotics are transforming the outside broadcasting of sports events. “Between augmented reality (AR) and tech becoming smaller and easier to transport, we have seen leaps and bounds in outside broadcasting over the last decade,” he says. “However, with the increasing demand for innovative OB that involves the viewers in the action, more pressure is placed on the abilities of robotics. Equipment needs to be safely stored, transported and ready to operate on demand – without falling victim to unpredictable environmental hazards. “A recent use case is for a global winter event where CP Cases developed padded weather covers for robotic camera systems. With cameras and covers present throughout the event, the importance of both robotics and appropriate weather protection are abundantly clear. It saves both time and money, as people are not required to stand around in extreme weather. Keeping robotics cool is also key, with protective covers and cooling cases required when travelling. “Robotics are compact and easy to transport, which makes them ideal for OB,” he continues. “The design of these robotic cameras makes them
DO IT ALL The Robotic Camera has been a game changer for German football
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