Helmet camera

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.

History

Mark Schulze wearing helmet cam invented for use in "The Great Mountain Biking Video"

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 biking 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 cameras.

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 Hitachi one-inch C-MOS chip camera (VK-C150) 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 Video Cassette Recorder deck in a backpack.

Cyclist Martin Graf Wears Helmet Cam in "John Howard's Lessons in Cycling" Video

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.

This portrait of Mark Schulze was shot on a GoPro helmet cam, San Diego outback, 2010

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.

Camera types

Helmet Camera

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 camcorder, 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.

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.

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.

External links

• Mark Schulze Wearing First-Known Helmet Cam Rig, Carlsbad, California, 1988
• Todd Campbell, Author of Beyond Slickrock, Rides With Helmet Cam at Slickrock, Moab, Utah, 1988
• Helmet Cam Footage of Olympian John Howard (cyclist) Videotaped by Mark Schulze, 2010
• Helmet Camera Forum Website discussions for Helmet Cam owners