Imperx camera range survives the extreme temperatures at the Australian Open, as well as life out in space.
After developing a new camera for NASA last year, specifically designed to survive the extreme temperatures on the outside of a firing rocket, immediately followed by the extreme cold of space, Imperx has now proven the extreme temperature-resistant capabilities of his high-speed Cheetah camera range once again by successfully providing slow-motion footage during the Australian Open tennis tournament, where temperatures regularly reach over 40 degrees.
Cameras in extreme heat environments have difficulty operating at high-speed, but positioning a high-speed camera within the tight confines of a tennis court means there isn’t the space available to cool it down inside an external enclosure.
The Comet system used by the broadcaster BBG Sports during the 2024 Australian Open demanded cameras that can provide 1080p imagery and operate at hundreds of frames per second, giving slow-motion playback from all corners of the court.
Wide working temperature range for high-speed camera
With a low dark current, high uniformity and low power-dissipation (<5W), the CoaXPress (CXP-C1941) camera from Imperx – part of the Cheetah camera range – is conductively cooled, meaning it reliably provides high image quality across a temperate range from -30 °C to +75 °C.
“The Australian Open tennis tournament used 12 Imperx high-speed C1941 cameras,” said BBG Sports founder Warren Brennan, “with four cameras each in the corners of the Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena, running for the entirety of the tournament and adding hundreds of replays to the broadcast [footage].”
Footage taken from an Imperx ruggedised camera mounted to the exterior of the SLS rocket, capturing the Artemis I launch. Image: NASA
History of out-of-this-world extreme temperature-resistant performance
The 2024 Australian Open was not the first time an Imperx camera from the Cheetah range has been tested in extreme conditions, however. In December 2023, the product was selected by NASA due to its performance under radiation in testing. “There aren’t a lot of cameras that can live in space that have the optical requirements for resolution and the image size we needed,” said Jarret Bone, a mechanical engineer at NASA.
After surviving the heat and vibrations from a blasting rocket engine for eight minutes during takeoff, the camera developed for NASA would need to survive the frigid space environment, too. As the surrounding temperature around a rocket travelling through space gets cold enough to damage electronics, Imperx was asked to collaborate on the development of a new camera model with a rugged housing to incorporate the necessary electrical and mechanical components, but also to include a heater.
More improvements made after environmental testing
Although Imperx suggested the original camera housing was “built like a tank,” it wasn’t enough for NASA’s tests and after being invited to view a demonstration video of how forceful vibration can effectively unscrew the bolts, Imperx had a new definition of extreme.
“This experience has helped us make a camera that can withstand being mounted on an airplane, which goes from ground level up to 36,000 - 40,000 feet and then comes back down,” said Greg Pangburn, CFO of Imperx. “It works perfectly during all of those altitude changes, whether it’s hot or cold outside, if it’s raining or snowing.”
