Dynamic Automatic Region Tracking (DART)

Objective

Capturing nature’s most fleeting moments, such as a lemur leaping, a peregrine falcon striking, or dragonflies dueling over water, has always relied on a mix of skill and luck. It also demands extensive setup and long waits in harsh environments. With Dynamic Automatic Region Tracking (DART), these moments become routine and much easier to capture. DART revolutionizes nature cinematography with bioinspired algorithms and cutting-edge hardware. Using motorized mirrors to steer a camera’s view, it enables ultra-fast, high-resolution tracking of unpredictable subjects. The system integrates two cameras: a wide-angle search camera to detect action and a telephoto homing camera to capture it in stunning detail. Its bioinspired vision algorithm and controller enable low-latency, data-efficient, and energy-efficient continuous operation. This project will refine DART’s tracking algorithms and hardware controls to create a modular, plug-and-play solution for applications in agri-tech, environmental monitoring, industrial automation, entertainment, and wildlife documentary production. Building on our strong academic expertise in robotics and biomechanics, DART is now advancing toward real-world demonstrations with early partners. By capturing what once seemed unfilmable, DART opens new frontiers in motion analysis and visual storytelling.