Surrey-made robotic arm keeps ITV’s election coverage moving

A new robotic arm from Surrey’s Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) made its live television debut last week as part of ITV’s overnight coverage of the general election.

The arm was used for bridging shots between the two main ITV studios on the night, from 10pm on 4 July through to 6am the next day.

Scheduled for release at this year’s International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in September, the StudioBot LT is the most compact model yet in MRMC Broadcast’s range of robotic arm solutions.

It supports up to 10kg and can be mounted on the floor, ceiling or a track.

Jenny King is head of technical production at ITN, the production company behind ITV’s 4 July programming.

“The StudioBot LT is a really exciting addition to the overnight election programme coverage”, she said.

“It is a product we have seen demonstrated to us at a couple of recent trade shows as the size and flexibility is very appealing for use across some of our bigger productions.

“When we started discussing the usage of our two studios for the overnight election programme, it seemed the perfect addition.

“It was a great talking point amongst staff and special guests as they walked past it on their way to the newsroom and studio for rehearsals!”

Paddy Taylor, head of broadcast at MRMC, added: “The StudioBot is MRMC’s flagship broadcast robotic camera system.

“With its multi-axis motion and powerful automation capabilities, the StudioBot is unrivalled in image capture innovation.

“Working closely with the team at ITN enabled us to engineer a beta release of the StudioBot LT, ready for delivery for ITV’s election programming.

“The way that ITN used the system demonstrates the creative possibilities that are possible when we work together with our customers to realise their vision.”

Mark Roberts Motion Control is among the latest recipients of the King’s Awards for Enterprise, in the international trade category.

The company previously won a Queen’s Award in 2017.