Need “Eyes On The Ground” During Your Ride? SOLOSHOT Robot Cameraman Might be the Answer
SOLOSHOT captures Elisa Wallace during her Mustang Demonstration at the Rolex 3 Day Event. Image courtesy of SOLOSHOT.
By: Brittany Bevis
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wished you had an extra pair of “eyes on the ground?” Many equestrians encounter this scenario every day.
While it would be wonderful to have a personal cameraman follow you around to record your lessons or tape a training session to find out what that 2-year-old prospect really looks like under saddle, that’s simply not an option for most people. Thankfully, the folks at SOLOSHOT have created an innovative device that acts as your own personal “robot cameraman.”
We had the opportunity to speak with James Carr, Team Sports Manager at SOLOSHOT, to find out how this technology works. Although the initial idea was sparked from a surfing expedition, it has since expanded to many different avenues of the “action sport” lifestyle, including equestrian sports.
“Other than surfing, many people use the product for kiteboarding, wakeboarding, snowboarding, motocross, BMX, auto racing, soccer, lacrosse, football, baseball, RC cars, planes, drones, and, last but not least, equestrian,” Carr says. “SOLOSHOT can be considered your personal ‘robot cameraman’ because it gives you the perspective angle that you receive as if you had your own filmer.”
“However, that being said, we want to make it known that we are by no means trying to replace videographers. You can never replace human creativity. SOLOSHOT is fantastic for those who can not afford filmers, enjoy doing activities alone, or just want an extra angle, hands free, so everyone can participate in the action!”
CEO and founder of SOLOSHOT, Chris Boyle, developed the idea one day while surfing Apple Bay in the British Virgin Islands.
“One day, he noticed how perfect the waves were, and he really wanted to capture his session from the perspective angle so he could watch himself,” Carr says. “Chris set up a camera where he thought he would be in frame, but on each wave he caught, he had surfed out of frame. Given his engineering background, he knew he could develop a product that would track an athlete or subject (car, dog, ect.) so you would never surf out of frame again.”
The SOLOSHOT is essentially a tripod attachment that’s mounted to a videocamera or regular camera. The athlete or subject of the film should wear the SOLOSHOT Tag. Essentially, the Tag is what the SOLOSHOT base tracks. Tags can be worn around the arm, waist, or even mounted on a saddle. From the Tag, the user can start and stop recording, so you don’t have to return back to the base.
“SOLOSHOT will automatically zoom in and out to keep you consistent within the frame,” Carr says. “We have three settings that are programed from the base: wide, medium, or tight zoom. As the Tag goes further away from the base, it will zoom in to remain consistent. As the Tag comes closer to the base, it will zoom out to keep the athlete or subject consistent. It’s important to note we have a 15 foot minimum range and a 2,000 foot maximum range.”
The use of video replay for improving performance in sports is a widely researched topic, and it’s one we will examine in the July/August edition of The Equine Chronicle… Carr also sees SOLOSHOT at a useful branding tool for social media.
“SOLOSHOT is fantastic for anyone trying to better themselves,” he says. “One of the best ways to get better at an activity or sport is to watch yourself do it on film. SOLOSHOT makes it easy to capture that content and review it later. We also look at SOLOSHOT as a branding tool. With the craze of social media, people are now branding themselves consistently. SOLOSHOT allows branding by generating personal content of an individual’s favorite hobbies, sports, or activities!”
The SOLOSHOT is available in many different packages and price bundles ranging from $399-$649. Their best selling package is the Camera Bundle, which includes everything you need to start shooting that day, even the camera!
“It’s extremely user friendly, if you read the directions!” Carr says. “SOLOSHOT is brand new, never-before-seen technology, so all of our customers are starting from scratch. Chances are none of them have worked with a robot cameraman before!”
Interested in learning more about SOLOSHOT? Visit their website at www.soloshot.com and check out their store locator to find over 100 retail locations.
