Entire CapCam system — including camera unit, RF transmitter, and battery — is housed on the cap, with no cables or components worn on the body
ESPN had a busy mid-month weekend of innovation, deploying CapCam and EarCam systems from POVORA (inventor of the JockeyCam) for its broadcasts of the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (Feb. 13) and the Shriner’s Children’s Clearwater Invitational college softball tournament (Feb. 12-15).
At NBA All-Star, actor Donald Faison sported the CapCam, and social-media creator and basketball personality Jenna Bandy wore the EarCam. At the Clearwater Invitational, the CapCam system was outfitted on two umpires for eight games.
“We’re always looking for creative new ways to bring fans closer to the game,” says Phil Orlins, VP, production technology and innovation, ESPN. “When I saw [the CapCam], I was impressed by what it could offer. Yes, it was small and well-designed, and it offered an all-in-one package on the cap, but the real differentiator was its remote wireless tilt control. That’s a big deal for a wearable when it comes to our needs [for live sports].
CapCam: ‘They Put It on, and That’s It’
The CapCam, in particular, proved to be a winner for ESPN, which was on the lookout for a self-contained unit that could be deployed in seconds and required no equipment to be mounted on the wearer’s body.
The entire CapCam system is housed on the cap: the camera unit, RF transmitter, battery, and a small servo motor. There are no cables running down a shirt, no battery pack against the chest, no holes cut into a uniform.
‘You hand the person the cap, and they put it on, and that’s it,” Orlins says. “It’s done and ready to go. That’s powerful in a live-game environment.”
The core challenge with any wearable camera is that the human body is an unreliable camera operator. People crouch, twist, lean, and even look away at the worst possible moments.
Traditional chest-mounted cameras sometimes are affected when a referee bends down before a snap or an umpire leans in to read a pitch.
“No matter what sport you’re talking about,” says Orlins, “you have a lot of issues with people crouching and bending over. You really need that wireless tilt. You need something that is going to keep the shot level, the horizon appropriate, and the right people in the frame.”
The CapCam system is able to offer two axes of movement: the pan — left and right — is simply wherever the wearer looks, and the tilt is controlled remotely by a POVORA technician.
The camera also features full horizon lock, with 360 degrees of automatic stabilization. If a wearer tilts their head, the image self-corrects instead of rolling with the tilt. The result is a shot that feels composed rather than accidental.
The camera itself captures in 4K, and outputs a stabilized 1080p image using H.265 compression. The CapCam, which weighs roughly 18 oz. (the camera unit itself is just 2½ oz.), is capable of running three hours with a standard battery, but that can be scaled up or down depending on use case and weight restrictions.
EarCam: Another Unique In-Game POV
Not every situation calls for a cap, however. Soccer referees, for instance, rarely wear hats. That’s where POVORA’s EarCam comes in.
The EarCam, which weighs just half an ounce, provides a 170-degree POV and the same capture/transmission specs as the CapCam.
It mounts a lightweight camera at eye level, using a headband system similar to a bone-conduction audio headset (the kind a runner might wear at the gym). The camera itself sits near the ear, but, unlike CapCam, EarCam’s electronics are split across the body. Since the goal of the EarCam is that the camera unit be as light as possible, it transmits down a short cable to processing hardware on the chest, with the power unit and RF transmitter on the back.
“[EarCam] gives us another interesting look,” says Orlins, “and a view that [viewers] wouldn’t be able to get otherwise on certain sports.”
Looking Ahead: Our Goal Is to Have a Usable Image at All Times’
Unlike sometimes cumbersome body-mounted systems, both systems can be rigged in under 30 seconds — an important trait when athletes, coaches, and refs must be quickly equipped before gameplay begins. According to Orlins, ESPN will continue to work with POVORA to further develop CapCam, EarCam, and other wearable systems to meet the broadcaster’s needs.
“Our goal is to have a usable image at all times while also having a system that doesn’t require a lot of setup work,” he says. “This definitely gets us closer to that. We’re happy with the results and excited to continue to experiment.”