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Imperial Probe Droid And NFL Robotic Skycam - Separated At Birth?
Maybe I've had too much turkey and science fiction, but I was watching the Detroit Lions play yesterday, and I suddenly thought that the Skycam system, created by CF InFlight, bore a remarkable resemblance to the Star Wars Imperial Probe Droid. I just saw it out of the corner of my eye, but it looked like the Empire was gathering data on NFL football.
(Skycam Robot and Star Wars Imperial Probe Droid)
Skycam is a broadcast-quality robotic camera system; it is suspended from a cable-driven, computerized transport system. This is the system that provides amazing shots that look like they are taken just behind and above the quarterback, then flying down the field - very much like the shots seen in video games. It is described as "the world's only stabilized camera system that can unobtrusively fly anywhere in a defined three-dimensional space -- right in the middle of a sporting event."
The Skycam system consists of central control, spar and reel linked through a fiber optic network. Less than a meter tall and weighing only thirty pounds, the Skycam can fly at speeds of up to thirty miles per hour. The system utilized Panasonic AK-HC900 HD cameras during the last NFL playoffs.
The Imperial Probe Droid, manufactured by Arakyd Industries, is an autonomous probot specifically designed for deep space exploration and is used for both science and military applications. It is about 1.6 meters tall and hovers on repulsorlift engines. Following the battle of Yavin, the Empire dispatched thousands of probe droids, finally revealing the hidden base on the ice planet Hoth.
Imperial Probe Droids gather data with a number of sensors, transmitting it back. They are also equipped with blaster cannon and a self-destruct mechanism.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/26/2004)
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