SmartCams: Automatic TV Cameras

What is a SmartCam?

A SmartCam is a robotic TV camera which can operate without a cameraman, changing its attitude, zoom, and position to provide specific images upon verbal request from TV director.

How is a SmartCam supposed to work?

Like a TV camera(man). A TV director usually communicates with his cameramen in a TV studio using commands like ``Camera 3, ready for close-up of the chef"; or "More head-room.'' The instructions are brief and simple, and clearly understood in the context of the scene. After receiving a call, the cameraman looks for the appropriate subject, adjusts the framing, keeping it as good as possible while the camera is on air.

Who is working with SmartCams?

Prof. Aaron Bobick Claudio Pinhanez

Are there results available?

• a movie of a cooking show where all the images where obtained automatically by 3 SmartCams.
  • MPEG format, 1.8Mbytes
  • QuickTime format, 3.1Mbytes
  • QuickTime format with Sound, 5.5Mbytes
• another performance of the cooking show, again using 3 SmartCams (this sequence includes some errors).
  • MPEG format, 1.6Mbytes.
  • QuickTime format, 2.9Mbyes
  • Better quality QuickTime format, 5.5Mbyes
• NEW! A more complex scene, with two chefs and a more elaborate recipe (thanks to Alan Alda, Graham Chedd, and all the crew of "Scientific American: Frontiers").
  
  
  • QuickTime format, 160x120 , 6.3Mbytes
  • QuickTime, 340x240, 25.6Mbytes

More technical info about SmartCams?

• Approximate World Models: Incorporating Qualitative and Linguistic Information into Vision Systems
  C. Pinhanez & A. Bobick
  AAAI'96. Portland, Oregon, August 1996.
  Also as Perceptual Computing Tech. Rep. No. 376. October 1995.

• Divide and Conquer: Using Approximate Models to Control View-Based Algorithms
  A. Bobick & C. Pinhanez
  Perceptual Computing Tech. Rep. No. 357. October 1995.

• Using Approximate Models as Source of Contextual Information for Vision Processing
  A. Bobick & C. Pinhanez
  Proc. of the ICCV'95 IEEE Workshop on Context-Based Vision, Cambridge, MA, July 1995.
  Also as Perceptual Computing Tech. Rep. No. 329. April 1995.

• Intelligent Studios: Using Computer Vision to Control TV Cameras
  C. Pinhanez & A. Bobick
  Proc. of the IJCAI'95 Workshop on Entertainment and AI/Alife,Montreal, Canada, August 1995.
  Also as Perceptual Computing Tech. Rep. No. #324. April 1995.

How to get more info?

For comments and suggestions, write to pinhanez@media.mit.edu

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