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The human eye cannot see faster than 1/10 second. Even at 5
events per second, it is difficult to follow what is happening.
Slow motion/high-speed cameras can help you to:
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Solve production problems -- many production lines run at
less than optimum speed because of unsolved maintenance problems
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Simplify adjustment and maintenance -- if you can see it,
you will fix it sooner
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Speed up production, reduce wastage, lower costs
Halve your wastage and you may save $ millions per year!
[More Information]
High-speed cameras are
now used extensively in Australian factories, universities and research
facilities, mining, the Australian Institute of Sport, Department of Defence, and
in automotive crash testing.
The Photron SA1 has become the "darling" of broadcast television and TV
commercial producers.
The image quality - contrast, and colour depth matches other
broadcast images, and the amazing sensitivity allows frame rates at night of
1000 fps and even 3000 fps under stadium lights.
In OB broadcasts, images can go to air live within five
seconds. Saving to HDD takes longer.
High-speed digital cameras now provide for inexpensive troubleshooting of
manufacturing machinery and printing processes. Our cameras permit quick,
accurate diagnostics and adjustment of equipment, and are able to monitor
intermittent trouble spots, continually storing recent images in a
solid-state memory buffer. When an incident occurs, the unit can be stopped
manually by an operator, or by an external trigger (contact closure or TTL).
Automatic download software is also available. [More
Information]
High-speed cameras can be mounted up to 2 kilometres back from a blast site
or close in, enclosed in a safe housing, or can view an explosion through a
sacrificial mirror. Detonator timings can be checked, as well as movement of
the ore face, and the velocity of stemming ejections can be calculated.
Athletes and coaches can perform detailed analysis of running style,
kicking, throwing, bowling, golf swing, tennis strokes, tumble turns, et
cetera. An image of the athlete’s style can be compared, side-by-side with
that of an exemplary champion. For biomechanics research, camera images can
be locked to simultaneous data input devices such as force plates.
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Swimming pool finish (MPEG1, file size 1.05
mb)
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Golf bunker -- note how Sand Wedge passes below ball (MPEG1,
file size 295 kb)
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Golf
ball -- note incorrect club-to-ball contact (MPEG1, file size 44 kb)
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Basket ball slam dunk (MPEG1, file size 684 kb)
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Runner -- poor style causing lower back stress -- note unnatural "inline"
placement of feet (MPEG1, file size 355
kb)
Research can range from improving MIG welding or burning metals in several
atmospheres of oxygen, to viewing the behaviour of blood corpuscles in an
artificial heart pump; or studying the way crabs walk, or birds and insects
fly. Many new areas of research open up when you can observe what is
happening at high speeds. Displacement and velocity can be accurately
measured, and it is also possible to observe what happens in the dark by
using an infra-red strobe light.
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Retracting syringe -- note spillage of blood/serum mix with droplet
falling from tip. Needle retracts in 6 milliseconds (MPEG1, file size
196
kb)
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Human
eye (lit by infra-red strobe) -- pupil responds to visible light; see reflection in eye of strobe and
eye-light; note pupil "hunting" in the dark; reaction time can be
calculated (MPEG1, file size 173 kb)
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Think of frame rate as the number of samples per
second required to observe an action or process. We try to keep the
frame rate as low as possible without compromising the observation.
Blurring, on the other hand, is controlled by shutter speed.
Again, we keep the shutter speed as slow as possible, but often have to
shorten it because of image blurring. A shutter speed of 1/1000 second
is typical. Of course, shorter shutter speeds require more light. The
golf
examples to the right have shutter speeds of 1/2000 sec (above) and
1/16 000 sec (below).
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The typical PAL video camera exposes at 1/50 second, whereas the typical
high-speed camera exposes at 1/1000 second or faster: thus sensitivity is a
major issue for high-speed cameras. Colour cameras usually require 6 to 8 times more
light than the equivalent monochrome camera, because the colour camera
requires an infra-red exclusion filter behind the lens to balance image
colour. Also, a colour AVI file is three times the size of the equivalent
monochrome file.
Unless colour is essential to your analysis, a monochrome camera is
usually
recommended.
Over the past ten years
high-speed digital cameras have revolutionised research, industrial
trouble-shooting, sports coaching and sports medicine alike. Slow Motion
Cameras Australia combines expertise and experience in each of the areas
discussed above, and will access the latest high-speed imaging equipment to meet
your requirements. Camera solutions range in
price from Au$10 000 to $150 000 (+GST). For your nearest representative,
email sales@slowmotion.com.au
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