athletic power of quadcopters

Larry Sutherland

http://www.ted.com/talks/raffaello_d_andrea_the_astounding_athletic_power_of_quadcopters.html

Check it out....It's pretty amazing_

W9GFO

Good video, thanks for posting it!

skylight

At work we have adopted a similar system using the ping-pong balls on studio cameras to give us VR capabilities for different shows, the studio is surrounded by IR cameras that look at these balls similiar to what's been used in Hollywood and other film studio locations over here with actors wearing black suits covered with ppballs
Each studio camera has five ppballs in a particular pattern held by a framework above the camera and the IR cameras see these patterns which are unique to each camera and an algorithm works out where each camera is located, an array of PC's work out the positioning and generate the virtual scenes.
Every so often the guys operating the system have to calibrate it and one guy walks around sweeping a rod with ppballs attached within the zone covered by the IR cameras swiping the apparatus around in all directions above and around himself.

The system seems reliable enough as long as it's calibrated regularly, the versatility of the scenes generated is quite impressive, and the system has been commisioned to create the VR parts of a programme due to be broadcast shortly.

I spoke with one of the guys and he told me he had used the system some time back to film the "Evian" baby ad with the babies dancing around, this was done with adult dancers in suits with ppballs attached and later in post production the images of previously videoed babies were attached. he mentioned that it's possible to turn anyone into anything and had recently also done the dancing pony ads

erco

Amazing video. Rafaello is a talented and engaging speaker, and the quads worked perfectly in front of a live audience. He makes it look soooooo easy.