Literally, it’s meant to fly around and keep models well lit even when they move

Jul 15, 2014 06:36 GMT  ·  By

Modeling isn't as easy as it sounds, especially when you're posing at a photo shoot, because you need to hold the same position for a fair amount of time, especially when the photographer is meticulous in setting up the light angles.

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have decided to solve this problem with science. Specifically, robotics science. Flying robots to be perfectly accurate.

It is truly ironic that, despite how hard it was for man to get metal machines in the air, flying robots and drones are now advancing far, far more quickly than walking ones.

Humanoid or arachnid bots or what have you can barely hold a straight line over perfectly flat surfaces, while flying bots are playing ping pong unaided and, now, can even assist photographers without much input.

Which brings us to today's news star: the Litrobot, a flying lighting drone that combines camera imagery and LIDAR to always shine a light upon the most important parts of the person posing for a photograph.

LIDAR is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light. It is a merger of the words “light” and “radar.”

Subjects are tracked no matter how they move, allowing the Litrobot to bathe them in light just right and with just the intensity needed to make that perfect photo that will show up in the next Vogue issue. We spotted it Saturday, but figured the sharp-eyed MIT flying bot deserved some more attention, given that it will dedicate all of its own attention to humans alone as soon as it comes into its own.

It's not just the subject that Litrobot keeps up with. The aerial drone also keeps a sensor on the photographer, tracking his or her movements. What's more, the drone can act alone, or in concert with the photographer or film shooter, to automatically take shots the instant the drone is in position. Action scenes or dynamic shots are the most obvious applications of that.

Sadly, MIT has only introduced the Litrobot as a proof of concept, and may never actually market it. Then again, with how much interest the world at large shows for beauty pageants and fashion magazines, there is no shortage of incentive to go ahead and push the project forward.

We suppose it hinges on whether or not some entertainment company or fashion house makes an investment to get the ball rolling. Even if normal photography doesn't take to it, the Litrobot could contribute a fair bit to film sets. Then again, shifting light sources can come across as fairly jarring directing mistakes on scene takes, so it can go both ways really.