Changes in Crittercam design, 1987–2000
1987
1988
Marshall Invents Crittercam
Greg started building Crittercam in 1987. He began by taking apart a video camcorder. He took out all the parts he didn’t need. He got down to the camera’s basic parts. He placed those parts in a waterproof metal tube.
The tube was made so that water would flow smoothly around it. The smooth Crittercam would create less drag for the animal wearing it. Imagine how hard it would be to swim wearing a backpack. That’s drag!
The tube also had to be strong. It would probably get bumped as an animal wearing it searched for food.
First Try
Greg made his first prototype of Crittercam. A prototype is a model. The first Crittercam model looked like a toy rocket. It had little fins on the sides.
Then Crittercam had to be tested. Greg plunged the prototype into a full bathtub to test it for leaks. He made sure that it was buoyant. That meant the camera would float. It needed to float because Greg had to get the camera back when it was done taking pictures.
The camera couldn’t be too buoyant. Then it would make the animal wearing it rise in the water. Crittercam had to be like a remora. It had to be smooth and nearly weightless underwater.