Waking up to wireless!

Some say it’s the future of automation in theatre, so it was fitting that Mark Ager, managing director of Stage Technologies London, was invited to talk about wireless technology at a recent seminar at The Institution of Engineering and Technology. Considering the potential now being explored in countless other industries from retail to medical practices, it’s not surprising that live performance is waking up to wireless. Mark’s talk focused on existing, cutting-edge technology being used in handheld controllers, free-ranging stage trucks and overstage “tracks and trolleys”.

Handheld controllers (rumoured to be the first of their kind in this genre) are used in gravity-defying theatrical scenes, in which acrobatic performers need to be able to control the speed of their abseiling ascent and descent along vertical surfaces. In this instance the performers themselves, not stage technicians, are in control of their own motorised winches to produce a more spontaneous and realistic effect. The small joystick solution developed by Stage Technologies is discreet enough to be hidden in the hand and enables a performer to dictate his or her pace at pre-programmed speeds to a maximum of 14 feet per second.

Radio-controlled scenic stage trucks recently used in Las Vegas spectaculars are the second generation versions of the Explorer! wagon originally used in the West End production of Martin Guerre. These trucks follow micro-accurate laser guidance making continuous correction during motion possible. The onboard computer contains a powerful processor that uses industrial radio Ethernet for communications and safety. The capability of the 2009 second generation trucks, which can weigh upwards of 20 tonnes, has been extended to include different steering geometries.

Wireless track-and-trolley systems can be implemented into live performance venues to give rigging designers extreme flexibility. Multiple trolleys that spin and rotate are often in operation simultaneously during shows, carrying performer flyers as well as heavy scenic elements (the trolley winches can carry up to 550lbs). Complex routines and precise interaction of scenery and performers can be achieved more easily due to the minimisation of cable management made possible by radio technology.

The Stage Technologies development team is finding more and more that clients are asking for wireless elements to their automation system, either to improve safety or enhance flexibility. The most recent innovative application of this technology was the wireless Serapid lift control at The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in Dallas. The development team also recently launched the latest generation wireless handheld mini-desk, the Solo G3, which gives operators the best line of sight in any stage environment. 

IET’s Next-Gen Wireless in Control Systems Seminar was held at IET’s Savoy Place in London on the 23rd February 2010, and addressed the benefits of wireless and the real issues that users face while using wireless applications within different networking strategies. It brought together representatives from academia, industry and practitioners who shared viewpoints, problems and solutions relating to wireless in control systems. The Institution of Engineering and Technology is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community, with more than 165,000 members in 127 countries and offices in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The IET provides a global knowledge network to facilitate the exchange of ideas and promote the positive role of science, engineering and technology in the world. The IET organises hundreds of events each year covering a range of engineering disciplines, in the UK and beyond.