A pioneer in robotic-camera operations and a company that makes digital-audio systems to edit movie soundtracks will receive honorary Academy Awards.
Oscar statuettes will be presented to audio company Digidesign and to Bill Tondreau of Kuper Controls at the scientific and technical awards ceremony Feb. 14, which precedes the main Oscars on Feb. 29.
Tondreau is being honored for developing robotic-camera systems used in visual effects. Digidesign is being honored for its Pro Tools workstation, a digital setup used in movie soundtracks.
Other technical awards announced Monday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences include: Oscar plaques for four Eastman Kodak employees who developed technology to control static-charge buildup on film; Kinoton GmbH for developing a new high-speed studio projector; and Stephen Regelous for an animation system used to create large numbers of computer-generated extras in battle sequences for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.