Super Fast Camera Tracking System

Researchers from the University of Tokyo developed a camera system that can track very fast moving objects, keeping them in the center of the screen at all times. The camera system which is still under development can capture Full HD videos and can even be used outdoors.

According to Diginfo: “Ordinarily, to change the direction a camera faces, you move the camera mechanically. But in this system, it’s not the camera that moves, it’s the mirrors. This makes it possible to change where you’re looking really quickly. In this demonstration, we’re tracking a table tennis ball. The ball moves extremely fast, but this system can keep compensating for the ball’s motion, so the ball stays in the middle of the image.”

Its not clear if this technology has any future applications in the world of consumer photography (after all this is a rather large system with lots of moving parts), but it is possible that a smaller commercial version of this technology could be used for example in the future for recording sporting events (maybe together with other futuristic Japanese technologies such as this “Matrix-style” camera system developed by the NHK).

Iddo Genuth
Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.