Gravity Media has deployed its SMARThead robotic camera technology in the United States for the first time, working with CP Communications at the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon. Two SMARThead+ systems were mounted on road gantries above the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge start line, where they covered more than 55,000 runners. Each system paired a Sony HDC-P50 camera with a Canon CJ45x zoom lens and provided remotely controlled pan and tilt.
The product family is designed as a compact robotic broadcast camera channel rather than a lightweight consumer PTZ. Gravity Media says SMARThead uses direct-drive motors and microprocessor control, supports ENG and box lenses, and can be supplied with a configurable 12G SMPTE fibre system carrying power and signals over one cable. Its control options include multi-camera operation, lens-position feedback, programmable shots and positional data for augmented-reality graphics.
The marathon deployment matters because the cameras occupied positions that were difficult to reach once the event was under way. Remote movement let the production adjust framing over the crowded start without placing operators on the gantries. It also shows how a repeatable robotic camera package can move from established European events, including the London Marathon and Wimbledon, into a US live-production workflow while retaining broadcast cameras and long zoom optics.
Gravity Media has not disclosed the exact fibre path, control location, video format, latency, redundancy or weather-protection arrangement used in New York. The announcement also does not identify the host broadcaster, show how the two feeds were integrated into the main production, or publish measured reliability and shot-usage data. The first US deployment is therefore confirmed, but its operational performance cannot yet be compared with staffed cameras or other remote-head systems.
