Modern filmmaking tech, and techniques, can put the camera quite far from its operator. When the camera is attached to a gimbal on the end of a crane, the camera operator needs a way to control its movement in multiple axes. Joysticks are straightforward to rig up, but bring challenges with precision: "When I'm using a joystick, I often ride pan and tilt input levels, [working] extra hard to make sure I don't accidentally bring unwanted movement into the shot," says camera operator Justin Brown.

Boyd Hobbs, a cinematographer who also describes himself as an industrial designer, invented a better system. Hobbs' Inertia Wheels, produced by his company Nodo Film Systems, allow the operator to control three different types of motion (programmable by the operator) by rotating wheels with a knob on them.

Hobbs designed these wheels to have what he calls "adjustable mass;" while that's obviously physically impossible, they do in fact feel like they have adjustable mass, because they're outfitted with motors to offer "digital mass and drag." The operator can program in the precise amount of resistance they'd like, in order to achieve the smoothest possible motion.

"Normally, to get more mass, wheels have to be heavier. NODO Inertia Wheels use motors and encoders to sense the Operator's force, and then the wheel position is adjusted relative to the equations of physics. So, the wheels feel and behave like heavier wheels which operators can change on demand."

Hobbs' interface design not only allows for more precise control, but brings ergonomic benefits to the operator. "Being able to isolate each axis is such an obvious benefit of wheels," says Brown, "but beyond that, I actually find my body and my cadence much more relaxed when I don't have to exert that extra effort to avoid accidental input."

"I feel it in my hand, my elbows, my arms. I physically feel better using wheels because I don't have that white-knuckle grip on a joystick. I'm not constantly thinking about accidental input on pan or tilt. So I'm filming in a more relaxed state."

"The other big difference is that I feel more connected to the camera with wheels. I feel the physicality through the interface. I feel the momentum of the shot on pan, on tilt, on roll. With a joystick, there is obviously some resistance built into the joystick itself, but being able to feel the shot due to the nature of wheels is a huge benefit that I think a lot of joystick users just don't realize they're missing out on."

Here's an example of how they're used in the field: