The security camera that captures everything, even in ice

AXIS surveillance camera under ice

It’s hard to watch your business’ property at all times. But with a total of 606,282 crimes against businesses in England and Wales occurring every year, it’s easy to understand why you want eyes and ears on everything. 

Having an all-encompassing, reliable security system for your business not only prevents you from being a victim of crime, but actually improves the performance of your business. So when it comes to choosing your business’ security technology, you shouldn’t ever have to compromise. 

Rather, you deserve a range of surveillance cameras, access control, intercom, and audio systems engineered to withstand a wide range of extreme conditions and situations. Whatever the environment, you should always feel safe and be able to rely on your security systems. 

That’s what Axis Communications has created their products for since 1984. Part of Canon Group, Axis enables a smarter and safer world by creating solutions for improving security and business performance. Their systems are designed to push us forward - taking business safety to a whole new level.

They create security technology that withstands a range of complicated environments. Whether there’s a wildfire outbreak, a flood, or all manner of extreme environments, Axis Communications equipment is designed to persevere and continue protecting your people, your property, and the performance of your business. 

Using network video technology, they film every single moment for your viewing - the good and the bad - in a crisp picture quality that never wavers - even if extreme weather strikes. 

And to truly put this technology to the test, Axis has demonstrated their elevated picture abilities and the robustness of their equipment in a fun and unexpected way: by filming a hockey game from underneath the ice. Yes, really. 

The Impossible Angle 

Fans of ice hockey will know there’s one angle of the game you never get to see: the underneath. It’s never before been possible to film from this perspective. After all, there’s a pretty hefty (40 mm thick) block of ice you have to deal with to be able to make it happen.

But the modular cameras from Axis Communications literally change the game. 

With ice hockey being such a lively game of bold colours, fast movements and intense play, Axis knew it would pose a real challenge to test the quality of their products, but result in some exciting gameplay footage. 

It was no easy feat, though. To pull off filming a hockey game from beneath the rink, the Axis team knew the equipment would need to be perfectly waterproof and not only robust enough to withstand a large amount of ice weighing it down, but the players who’d be skating right above it too. 

Though there were clear difficulties involved with the experiment, the potential for pay off was worth it, and so the team got to work. With this innovative technology made to withstand any and all weathers, the modular cameras from Axis Communications should be able to sit within the rink, encased in ice, and still record footage of the game from every angle. 

So, they tested it out. But it took a lot of work to mount the camera beneath a hockey rink. Together with an ice hockey team and a film crew, engineers from Axis Communications performed the experiment.  

A modular setup was chosen for the experiment: One AXIS F2135-RE Fisheye Sensor was frozen in the ice together with a cable connecting it to AXIS F9114 Main Unit outside the rink, which provided power to the camera – as well as processing the video feed coming off the sensor.

Despite the small size of the sensor, it still would not fit underneath the surface of the ice. So, the camera was mounted horizontally, leaving enough space for the camera to be completely covered in the ice, and a mirror was used to reflect the action above the ice into the camera. To keep everything in place during the freezing process a 3D printed jig was created, and the right lens adjustment was selected before freezing the camera away in a completely solid block of ice - where players would be slamming into each other over the top.


Content Captured without Compromise 

Would the camera still operate efficiently and work despite these extreme conditions and difficulties getting it beneath the ice? It was a novel but tough experiment to test the camera's capabilities, but it performed brilliantly- capturing every swipe of the puck, each slice of the player’s boots crunching against the ice, and every slide the player’s faces sliding against the ice post-injury. All the stuff you usually miss, immortalised in film.

For the camera to still do its job - and a stellar one at that, catching hockey from all angles, showed its true hardiness and adaptability. 

The final result: a vibrant and unique capturing of a very intense game that offers a unique viewing experience for hockey fans.

This kind of imaginative, innovative technology is behind all security cameras at Axis, creating a safer and smarter world. If Axis Communications cameras can deliver excellent, high-quality footage that shows every detail of a scene while encased in thick ice, it can certainly provide the security measures you need for your properties. 

Cross one worry off the list for your business by setting up a security system that not only withstands tricky situations but offers succinct and versatile solutions. Axis Communications are consistently using sight and sound mixed with detailed analytics and intelligence to continually improve the security systems on offer and keep businesses everywhere safe. 

Whether you’re looking after a business susceptible to extreme weather or filming a hockey game from every angle, Axis cameras will capture every moment without faltering - no matter what interruptions you might face. 


To find out more, please visit AXIS




via Zero Tech Blog