Suction cups are an essential part of filmmaking, to rig cameras on the most strange places… like moving cars. The bad thing about suction cups is that they sometimes don’t hold in place very well… and that sucks! When the PVC team stopped to see the SpiderMount 220, there was a discovery to be made: that suction cup system has a secret: it can think!
Before we continue, it should be pointed that the SpiderMount 220 has another interesting feature: it is designed to fit around the body of different car models, something that is an asset for a team that has to deal with different models on a regular base. The articulating arms wrap around the car body and the suction cups fit perfectly, to hold 220 pounds. Having said that, suction cups tend to lose grip, so you need to pump them up regularly, to make sure your gear does not stay behind when a car moves.
The iDEA VISION SpiderMount 220 is different: the little box you see on one of the arms is actually a brain, and it detects if any of the suction cup is losing suction, and actively adjusts the suction to each different cup, to keep everything in place. This example of how a brain is needed for team work is one of the new products from TRP Worldwide, and you’ll find more about the system on the company’s website.
https://youtu.be/R_n30nIWLe0