SCMC Gadgets - the 'Borg'Following on from the success of the Club trials with the MineCam in the 1990s and having seen Alien where they explored the planet with helmet mounted cameras, it was only a matter of time before the Club techno started building one....
Like all pioneering efforts, time and technology wait for no-one and since the 'Borg' was built (back in 2000) Action Cameras have been invented and now everyone and their cat are wearing cameras, so the original, bulky 'Borg' outfit is effectively redundant, but at least we captured some interesting exploration footage!
The 'Borg' - modelled by it's inventor
The Borg consists of the same high quality micro-miniature colour video camera and 50 Watt wide beam light source as used in the original MineCam, with a Hi-8 (later upgraded to Digital-8) Camcorder mounted in a waterproofed backpack - controlled by a remote control box, fixed by velcro to the 'camera persons' chest.
The light is mounted in an old miners cap-lamp housing, while the camera is fixed to the side of the helmet at eye-level (to give a more realistic viewing position and some protection).
A small front silvered mirror on a hinged arm allows the operator to see the viewfinder mounted on the opposite side of the head to the camera, again at eye-level.
Trials of the 'Borg' have produced some fascinating underground exploration video, although the person wearing the kit has to be careful not to move too fast!
