whippletree riel: Insert Coin: LineCam is a high-flying cable car system for your camera

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Insert Coin: LineCam is a high-flying cable car system for your camera

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Father and son team Nick and Larry Braun want to build a portable zip line system for cameras. Problem is, predictably, design and manufacturing cost a lot of money. So, the two have turned to Kickstarter and are asking for a little help in getting their LineCam project off the ground. The duo are actually building two different models: the simple, gravity-powered Glide and the motorized Flow. Both are wheeled carts that attach to a cable and have mounts for various cameras, including standard tripod mounts for shuttling DSLRs through the air. The Glide is capable of using smaller gauge line and has a simpler rigging assembly, which helps keep cost and weight down. The remote controlled Flow, on the other hand, requires a much more robust setup.

The Flow is definitely the more interesting of the two products. Rather than simply riding the cable under the the influence of physics, it features an RF remote with speed control and the ability to run in reverse. And the 10,900mAh battery is charged in part by a regenerative breaking system packed into the shuttle. Having all this machined aluminum made here in the US isn't cheap however. The Glide platform alone (that includes none of the rigging or cabling) will require a pledge of $510. The Flow? A jaw dropping $4,535. And if you want all the necessary equipment to film your exploits from the air you'll have to offer support totally $5,600. Still, if you're serious about your photography and video, it might not seem like that absurd a price. Heck, the GoPro guys seem to like it. Check out the video pitch for the LineCam after the break.

Filed under: Peripherals