h a l f b a k e r yIt's as much a hovercraft as a pancake is a waffle.
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Tri-(and mono)-pods, in my experience, have never been quite as exact as I would like.
They are generally granted movement by myriad hinges set around the top, or by a ball and socket joint.
This invention allows a perfectly smooth movement and a solid position once it has been chosen.
Inside
the head of the tripod is a pool of electrorheological fluid (see link), the mount for the camera has the usual threaded metal attachment on the top, but the other end of it is submerged in the pool of fluid and branches out - thereby increasing its surface area.
On the side of the tripod head can be found a switch, which, when set to the on position allows an electric current into the pool of fluid, thus solidifying it and maintaining a solid mount for the camera at the exact angle required.
Electro fluid
http://www.ust.hk/e...e_pa031008-750.html
[fridge duck, Jan 27 2006]
More information
http://www.findarti...i_n6137968#continue
[fridge duck, Jan 27 2006]
Miller Fluid Head Tripod
http://millertripod...index.cfm?sectid=10
an Aussie original [Cube, Jan 28 2006]
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Annotation:
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Sorry about the tardiness, I'm still stuck with my victorian - age dial up connection. |
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Are there states of increased viscosity available between the fluid and solid states? |
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A bit of research later, and the answer is yes - second link. |
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Then it'll probably work well. |
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MR fluids - ya gotta love them. Liquid to solid in no time flat. |
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The only problem I can see with your design, is the power consumption required to keep the MR fluid solid. |
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There is one way around this: use a permanent magnet to keep your fluid solid on a continuous basis, but without power consumption. When you wish to move the tripod head, press the power button, and activate an electromagnet designed to cancel the permanent magnet and allow the MR fluid to change into a liquid. Release the button, and your unpowered tripod will remain locked in place. I know this can be done because I've read about examples, but have never seen it applied to a tripod. |
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Intriguing. Must get some, and play with it. |
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Australian Eric Miller invented a fluid
head tripod in 1946 that is now a
motion picture industry standard. How
this would be an improvement on that
design escapes me. |
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The referenced articles on MR fluid
point to a problem with fluid
contamination and as any camerman
will tell you, tripods are often used in
less than sterile conditions. The power
system required to electrically adjust
the fluid viscosity would complicate the
function of the tripod and increase the
number of batteries in the camera
package. To be truly versatile, the
tripod head you envison should also be
able to be moved to different sizes of
'sticks' such as 'baby legs' and 'hi-hats.' |
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Televison programming shot in the
controlled environs of the studio set
commonly use cameras mounted on
hydraulic pedestals with hand cranked
gears providing smooth and accurrate
pan and tilt movements. |
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I also wish to write a very long paragraph about how very wrong you are and how very sad and lonely I am, but I quite frankly can't be arsed. |
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Plus, it's a good idea, and it doesn't really matter if it's a little impractical, some of the best ideas on here are much more impractical. And there's always some flash git with more money than sense willing to buy any old junk, let alone something as cool as this. |
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