Camera captures Niagara tightrope walk

When Nik Wallenda made his successful, record-breaking tightrope walk over Niagara Falls on June 15, 2012, a color camera from Toshiba Imaging Systems (Irvine, CA) captured high definition (HD) images of the event for all to see.

The tiny IK-HR1S camera captured the sensational footage from the balance bar of the internationally-acclaimed tightrope artist during his 1,850-foot trek across the falls.

The one-piece HD camera was waterproofed and mounted on his balance pole by Aerial Video Systems (AVS; Burbank, CA, USA), the company contracted by ABC to provide all the audio and visual communications for the historic event.

To transmit the images from the Toshiba camera, AVS cabled it to a customized "fanny pack" containing a mini-HD microwave transmitter and battery.

Randy Hermes, founder and president of AVS, said that he was delighted with the results. "The camera and transmitter delivered the stunning shots I was looking for of Nik’s footwork on the wire with the raging waters of Niagara Falls below," he said.

-- Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design