SmartNews September 2010 | China Flying Balls
September 2010
Moving one vertical load is simple. Moving countless vertical loads in a small space is not. Posting one of the most spectacular visual performances of a SmartMotor™ to YouTube and calling it "China Flying Balls" takes...guts.
Animatics' latest YouTube channel posting titled "China Flying Balls" is the breathtaking video of over 1,008 individual spheres dancing and floating across the stage at The World Expo in Shanghai, China.
The extreme challenge in creating this performance for FTSI Automation was fitting a large number of motors into a very small space. The motors would need to lift and lower their respective loads in such a synchronized, fluid fashion that the production would look more like a computer generated animation than a life-size performance. They also required Contouring Mode so that one, a few, or all of the motors would be able to respond to impromptu commands in coordinated fashion.
To solve these problems and more, they chose the new Class 5 SmartMotor from Animatics.
Each SmartMotor™ was attached to the cable at the top of each sphere and fashioned to raise and lower over 40 feet in quick, smooth succession over a large grid suspended above a 500 square foot stage. The Class 5 SmartMotor was able to provide Contouring Mode at data packet rates fast enough to allow for the fluid movement of all components of the performance. An integrated brake was also included in each Class 5 SmartMotor to ensure the whole structure would not come crashing down if there was a loss of power, and a closed loop servo was integral to ensuring no positioning loss.
The production in Shanghai at the World Expo was a collaboration between Animatics Corporation, Fisher Technical Services, Inc. and Murayama, Inc.
Headquartered in Silicon Valley and with offices world wide, Animatics Corporation is the global leader in integrated motion control products and systems and has been for more than 20 years. Animatics designs, manufactures, markets and sells innovative, state-of-the-art, cutting-edge motion control products, systems and solutions.
Animatics is Defining the Future of Motion Control!
Copyright © 2010 Animatics Corporation. All rights reserved.
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All integrated motor products made by Animatics are covered by patent number 5,912,541
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