RaceTech develops Prodigy Air Deflector with Bright Tangerine

RaceTech has teamed up with camera accessories manufacturer Bright Tangerine to develop the Prodigy Air Deflector, to aid the capture of content in adverse weather conditions.

While broadcast equipment has become more resilient to wet weather, camera lenses can be vulnerable to rain, causing obscured footage. With many racecourses having cameras exposed to the elements, UK horse racing outside broadcast and technical facilities provider RaceTech was keen to find a solution to the issue.

RaceTech operations and engineering director Paul Newman said: “Over the years there have been several devices available on the market, such as spinners, but realistically they aren’t very practical or reliable to deploy in our OB environment. Some 70% of all racecourses have all the cameras located in or around the racetrack and are therefore totally exposed to the elements, so depending on conditions this can affect coverage quite severely”.

Daniel Stewart from Bright Tangerine introduced the Prodigy Air Deflector to RaceTech. The device uses a motor to blow air evenly down the front of a specially coated glass, keeping the camera lens clear even in heavy rain.

Stewart explained: “The Prodigy Air Deflector was designed to ensure high-quality shots in scenarios where rain and debris could impact the footage. In live events, there’s no second take.”

The device delivers an airflow speed of 300 mph from a battery-powered compressor, ultimately creating a uniform barrier over the glass.

The deflector’s design was inspired by real-world challenges, after Andy Subratie, Bright Tangerine’s founder, observed blurry live screens during the rain at Glastonbury Festival.

He said: “The camera operator would constantly reach around and wipe the lens ever so often and do their best. I thought there had to be a better way. This sparked my imagination, and the Prodigy Air Deflector design was born.”

After successful use in cinema productions (The Prodigy Air Deflector made its debut during filming of The Batman and was used on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Cinderella and The Little Mermaid), Bright Tangerine collaborated with RaceTech to adapt the product for the OB world. This partnership led to the creation of a test setup that could be deployed on OB cameras.

RaceTech has since worked closely with Bright Tangerine and Fujinon UK to look at improving the set-up for outside broadcast deployment and have advised on developing and expanding the product. RaceTech said that it hopes the Prodigy Air Deflector will eventually work with full size box lenses. Testing will continue throughout Autumn with the aim of bringing the product to the outside broadcast market.

RaceTech chief executive John Bozza said: “Innovation is something I have passionately encouraged ever since I became CEO at RaceTech. This is another very exciting innovative product that we are pleased to be involved in assisting, testing and developing with Bright Tangerine for the outside broadcast market.”