Helmet camera
Encyclopedia
A helmet camera, otherwise known as a micro video camera, bullet camera, or lipstick camera, is a camera
attached to a helmet
allowing someone to make a visual record from their point of view (POV), while keeping their hands and vision free.
videos produced by Mark Schulze. He mounted the first available chip camera made by RCA, to a motorcycle helmet. The camera fed signal via cable to a VCR stuffed into a padded backpack. This unwieldy rig was worn by various mountain bikers and "Mountain Bike Trials" riders to capture POV footage of Trials Champions Ot Pi
Isern and Kevin Norton, and mountain bike racers, Jeff Detweiler and Mark Schulze. Upon removing the rig after a particular ride, the wearer would inevitably exclaim, "This thing's HEAVY!" This pioneering hardware eventually gave way to button and lipstick camera
s.
Schulze used a helmet cam again, during the production of additional mountain-bike videos including "Ultimate Mountain Biking: Advanced Techniques and Winning Strategies," "John Howard's Lessons in Cycling" with John Howard (cyclist)
and "Battle At Durango: First-Ever World Mountain Bike Championships" which received the honor of a "Classic Telly." This new helmet-cam utilized a Toshiba one-inch C-MOS chip camera on one side of an Etto helmet, counter-balanced by a 12-volt battery on the opposite side, and this time hooked up to a 3/4" 12-pound Sony
VO6800 deck in a backpack.[Help with translations!] Schulze also created additional POV mounts for the bike including under the seat post looking forward and under the bottom bracket to see the wheel and trail. It was during the production of "Battle" when Schulze revealed his invention to producers from the fledgling ESPN
, who were there to broadcast the races. The helmet cam soon became a standard piece of equipment, worn by BMX riders, surfers, skiers, skydivers and other sports aficionados, to record and share their experiences.
The last time when Schulze's helmet cam saw action was during the production of New & Unique Videos' final mountain-bike video called "Full Cycle: A World Odyssey" (1993 and 1994). This around-the-world mountain-bike travel adventure follows an intrepid young couple (Mark Schulze and his wife, Patty Mooney) to nine different countries including USA, Canada
, Costa Rica
, Wales
, Greece
, Switzerland
, Tahiti
, Australia
and India
.
With the advent of digital cameras, and smaller camera production, came advancement in the helmet camera field. Helmet cameras shrank in size to that of a marker and began recording to digital recorders with video displays.
In 1991, the World League of American Football introduced the innovation of a miniature camera mounted on the right side of the VSR-3 Riddell helmet worn by quarterbacks. This rig was developed by USA Network and Aerial Video Systems of Burbank, California. An antenna was placed in the crown of the helmet between an inflatable pad and the shell. Each of these Helmet-Cams cost $20,000 and transmitted live game action. These helmet cams were briefly used to provide live player's-eye-view footage in professional American football
. However, their use was discontinued after players complained of the extra weight, and TV networks became concerned about the aggressive behavior the cameras captured.
The newest generation of helmet cameras offer features like on-screen menus, high-definition format, wireless transmitting to an offsite recording device, waterproof enclosures and 3D capabilities.
, or purpose built digital video recorder.
CCD helmet cameras are based upon the charge-coupled device
(CCD) image sensor. They typically operate on 12VDC power and output an analog type signal. These cameras draw more power than CMOS cameras but offer superior picture quality and better color replication.
CMOS helmet cameras are based upon the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. They typically operate on 5VDC and draw very little power. CMOS cameras are also generally smaller than the CCD type. CMOS cameras do not offer the same clarity as CCD type and generally do not work well in low light environments.
For example, many paraglider pilots like to carry a bullet camera to record their flights. This can be mounted on the helmet, foot or elsewhere to capture unique camera angles. There are many samples of helmet camera videos available on the net.
Wearing helmet cameras is also proving popular with cyclists as a safety aid as it allows cyclists to record their journeys and to record any incidents from their point of view. This recording can be used in a court as evidence.
In Glasgow, Magnatom is the most famous advocate of helmet cameras and regularly appears on television and Youtube
.
In 2006, a British cyclist was convicted of abusing traffic wardens, using evidence from a helmet camera.
Firefighters have begun to utilize helmet cams as a tool to assess their responses to fires and allow non-firefighters to see the reality of what occurs inside a burning building. One technological improvement that fire departments would employ would be thermal imaging detection of differences in heat.
Helmet cameras are also being used in the military, where video footage can be streamed back to a command center or military outpost. A recent notable instance of this was the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound
, where live video footage of the raid was streamed to the White House.
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
attached to a helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
allowing someone to make a visual record from their point of view (POV), while keeping their hands and vision free.
History
San Diego Director of Photography, Mark Schulze of New & Unique Videos, is believed to have invented the video helmet cam during the 1987 production of "The Great Mountain Biking Video," This video was "the world's first mountain biking video" and the first in a series of how-to mountain bikingMountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
videos produced by Mark Schulze. He mounted the first available chip camera made by RCA, to a motorcycle helmet. The camera fed signal via cable to a VCR stuffed into a padded backpack. This unwieldy rig was worn by various mountain bikers and "Mountain Bike Trials" riders to capture POV footage of Trials Champions Ot Pi
Ot Pi
Ot Pi is a Spanish bike-trials rider, often regarded as the man responsible for the discipline's origin. He has won several world titles and is featured on a number of videos that showcase the sport....
Isern and Kevin Norton, and mountain bike racers, Jeff Detweiler and Mark Schulze. Upon removing the rig after a particular ride, the wearer would inevitably exclaim, "This thing's HEAVY!" This pioneering hardware eventually gave way to button and lipstick camera
Lipstick camera
A lipstick camera is an extremely small video camera which is approximately the size of a typical tube of lipstick. They are useful for capturing images that a conventional camera would not be able to capture due to size or weight constraints....
s.
Schulze used a helmet cam again, during the production of additional mountain-bike videos including "Ultimate Mountain Biking: Advanced Techniques and Winning Strategies," "John Howard's Lessons in Cycling" with John Howard (cyclist)
John Howard (cyclist)
John Kennedy Howard is an Olympic cyclist from the United States, who set a land speed record of 152.2 miles per hour while motor-pacing on a pedal bicycle on July 20, 1985 on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats...
and "Battle At Durango: First-Ever World Mountain Bike Championships" which received the honor of a "Classic Telly." This new helmet-cam utilized a Toshiba one-inch C-MOS chip camera on one side of an Etto helmet, counter-balanced by a 12-volt battery on the opposite side, and this time hooked up to a 3/4" 12-pound Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
VO6800 deck in a backpack.[Help with translations!] Schulze also created additional POV mounts for the bike including under the seat post looking forward and under the bottom bracket to see the wheel and trail. It was during the production of "Battle" when Schulze revealed his invention to producers from the fledgling ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, who were there to broadcast the races. The helmet cam soon became a standard piece of equipment, worn by BMX riders, surfers, skiers, skydivers and other sports aficionados, to record and share their experiences.
The last time when Schulze's helmet cam saw action was during the production of New & Unique Videos' final mountain-bike video called "Full Cycle: A World Odyssey" (1993 and 1994). This around-the-world mountain-bike travel adventure follows an intrepid young couple (Mark Schulze and his wife, Patty Mooney) to nine different countries including USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
With the advent of digital cameras, and smaller camera production, came advancement in the helmet camera field. Helmet cameras shrank in size to that of a marker and began recording to digital recorders with video displays.
In 1991, the World League of American Football introduced the innovation of a miniature camera mounted on the right side of the VSR-3 Riddell helmet worn by quarterbacks. This rig was developed by USA Network and Aerial Video Systems of Burbank, California. An antenna was placed in the crown of the helmet between an inflatable pad and the shell. Each of these Helmet-Cams cost $20,000 and transmitted live game action. These helmet cams were briefly used to provide live player's-eye-view footage in professional American football
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
. However, their use was discontinued after players complained of the extra weight, and TV networks became concerned about the aggressive behavior the cameras captured.
The newest generation of helmet cameras offer features like on-screen menus, high-definition format, wireless transmitting to an offsite recording device, waterproof enclosures and 3D capabilities.
Camera types
Helmet cameras generally fall into two main categories; CMOS and CCD type. Although helmet cameras take on a variety of forms the majority are small cylindrical cameras resembling a tube of lipstick or a bullet, coining the name lipstick and bullet cameras. Helmet cameras may be connected to a video recording device with video input capability, such as a handheld camcorderCamcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
, or purpose built digital video recorder.
CCD helmet cameras are based upon the charge-coupled device
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
(CCD) image sensor. They typically operate on 12VDC power and output an analog type signal. These cameras draw more power than CMOS cameras but offer superior picture quality and better color replication.
CMOS helmet cameras are based upon the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. They typically operate on 5VDC and draw very little power. CMOS cameras are also generally smaller than the CCD type. CMOS cameras do not offer the same clarity as CCD type and generally do not work well in low light environments.
Applications
Many sports enthusiasts now use helmet cameras to capture the essence of the sports they love.For example, many paraglider pilots like to carry a bullet camera to record their flights. This can be mounted on the helmet, foot or elsewhere to capture unique camera angles. There are many samples of helmet camera videos available on the net.
Wearing helmet cameras is also proving popular with cyclists as a safety aid as it allows cyclists to record their journeys and to record any incidents from their point of view. This recording can be used in a court as evidence.
In Glasgow, Magnatom is the most famous advocate of helmet cameras and regularly appears on television and Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
In 2006, a British cyclist was convicted of abusing traffic wardens, using evidence from a helmet camera.
Firefighters have begun to utilize helmet cams as a tool to assess their responses to fires and allow non-firefighters to see the reality of what occurs inside a burning building. One technological improvement that fire departments would employ would be thermal imaging detection of differences in heat.
Helmet cameras are also being used in the military, where video footage can be streamed back to a command center or military outpost. A recent notable instance of this was the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound
Death of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
, where live video footage of the raid was streamed to the White House.