Mumbai engineer, Vikas Sathaye, was among the five member team which was awarded the Oscar plaque by the Academy for 'concept, design, engineering and implementation of the Shotover K1 Camera System.'
Mumbai engineer on team awarded Academy award for scientific and technical excellence
Mumbai - 12 Feb 2018 16:39 IST
Shriram Iyengar
Indian films might not have a great record at the Oscars, but Indians continue to shine. The recent Scientific and Engineering awards held by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences presented Vikram Sathaye, along with four other members of his team an Academy plaque to honour their creation and implementation of the Shotover K1 Camera System, used in several Hollywood blockbusters since.
Sathaye, who was raised in Mumbai, was involved in the invention and creation of the camera which eliminates vibrations and ensures a steady visual footage despite the nature of the mount. The camera system is often attached to the base of helicopters to enable tracking and overhead shots in films.
The award citation on the Academy's website reads 'This innovative six-axis stabilized aerial camera mount, with its enhanced ability to frame shots while looking straight down, enables greater creative freedom while allowing pilots to fly more effectively and safely.'
The plaque was awarded to the team of John Coyle, Brad Hurndell, Vikas Sathaye and Shane Buckham on Saturday.
Sathaye, who completed a BTech from the Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Thane, and later went on to an MTech in Electronics and Instrumentation from IISc. Sathaye also taught at Pune's Cummins College of Engineering for seven years. He only took up the offer of Shotover Camera Systems in New Zealand in 2009, where the technology was developed.