Automatic control of a robot camera for broadcasting and subjective evaluation and analysis of reproduced images

We are studying about an intelligent robot camera that can automatically shoot an object and produce images with a powerful sense of reality as if a very skilled cameraman were at work. In this study, we designed a control algorithm based on cameramen's techniques for the control of the robot camera and conducted a series of experiments to understand the effects of camera work on how images look to viewers. The findings were as follows: (1) Evaluation scores are high when actual data by cameraman, especially typical data, are used as the position adjusting velocity curve of the target. (2) Evaluation scores are relatively high for images taken with feedback-feedforward camera control method when the target moves in one direction. (3) When both the direction and velocity of the target change and when the target gets bigger and faster in the view finder, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the target within the view finder using the control method that imitates the human camera handling. (4) The method with mechanical feedback, on the other hand, is able to cope with rapid changes in the target's direction and velocity, constantly keeping the target within the view finder. Even so, the viewer finds the image rather mechanical than natural.