How Servos Improve the Superbowl

When we think about servos and how they make our lives better, we often think about industrial servo motors. It’s hard not to if you work with Indramat motion control systems, after all. Industrial robots make things possible in manufacturing that were previously impossible without automation.

But that’s not the only way that servos can improve our lives. It surprises many people when they find out the neat things that contain servo motors. Of course, these servos are quite different from the industrial servo motors used in Indramat motion control systems. That doesn’t make them any less impressive, however. As you gear up for Super Bowl LI, keep in mind that servos are going to be improving your Super Bowl experience.

How servos improve the Super Bowl

Servos help home viewers soak in the Super Bowl to its fullest. How do they do that? One word that sounds like it should be two. Skycam.

Those incredible sweeping shots and aerial views that enhance your viewing experience aren’t the result of cameras strapped to the backs of trained falcons. Those angles that let you watch the trajectory of a pigskin as it flies 30 yards down the field come from the Skycam.

A Skycam is a computer controlled camera attached to a cable suspension system. These cameras can move in three-dimensions, and servo motors help capture those tight spirals and run routes.

New camera view for Super Bowl LI

The technology that goes into a Skycam is impressive, but football fans might already find the novelty of new camera angles has worn off. Super Bowl LI promises to add some new excitement in that department.

2016 was a big year for virtually reality. So much so that VR will make its first Super Bowl Sunday debut for Super Bowl LI.

“Be the Player” gives the folks at home a players eye view and promises a “truly unique field-of-vision perspective”. According to FOX, which will air Super Bowl LI, this nifty feature “displays a POV perspective from any player on the field without ever having a physical camera attached to the player.”

How is this possible?

Multiple cameras around the stadium capture different angles of the game. The views captured by these cameras are used to synthesize what a player sees on the field. A representative for Fox Sports says that this technology is the first of its kind. This is the first time fans can see exactly what the players see on the field, without the need for a physical camera.

Some of the cameras that will help provide this new way to view the game will be Skycams. While many Americans view the Super Bowl as a national holiday we’ll be answering your calls if you need Indramat repair or any assistance with your Indramat servos.