In context
In early 2023, the robotics and automation industry was increasingly integrating advanced sensing technologies into creative and commercial applications. The partnership between Lumotive and Axibo highlighted a growing trend of using lidar beyond traditional industrial uses, extending into cinematography to enhance automated camera systems.
What was reported
Lumotive, known for its Light Control Metasurface (LCM) beam steering chips, and Axibo, a cinema robotics company, announced the Precision eJib – a 6-axis robotic arm designed for cinema with integrated 3D sensing. This system aims to provide photographers and videographers with smart object tracking, enhanced image stabilization, and new autofocus capabilities for crisper images and automated scene capture.
The solution leverages Lumotive's M30 lidar reference design, which offers a wide field of view (120 x 90 degrees) and real-time software programmability. This allows the system to adaptively optimize illumination and sensing resources for specific scenes, improving focus and visual quality. The lidar's advantages include superior outdoor range, reduced multipath effects, and better interference mitigation compared to traditional flash illumination.
Axibo's demonstration at CES showcased advanced object tracking with automatic focus on a large manual lens. The system uses 3D data to direct the camera to follow and focus on a moving subject. Early versions of the M30 are being evaluated by consumer product companies, robotics developers, automotive suppliers, and industrial OEMs, with volume manufacturing expected by mid-2023.
Why it mattered
This collaboration signaled a shift toward software-defined lidar in creative automation, potentially expanding the market for 3D sensing beyond industrial and automotive applications. The integration of precise depth data into camera systems could lead to more sophisticated automation in filmmaking and photography, while also demonstrating the versatility of LCM technology for future consumer and professional devices.
“The integration of our LCM beam steering technology with Axibo’s Precision eJib camera motion system takes photographic and videographic automation to a whole new level without sacrificing creativity.”
Source: Robotics & Automation News (roboticsandautomationnews.com) · Published 2023-01-09 · “Lumotive and Axibo partner to bring lidar to cinematography automation”