A company in Hawaii has discovered a new way to give crane operators a set of “eyes” when working in the blind. The HookCam is a patent-pending device that snaps onto a crane’s hook and wirelessly transmits the scene on a full-color, flat-screen monitor in the cab.

Photos: Pacific System Solutions

The device is geared toward safety, but it also increases production, according to Chris Catanzaro, operations director for Kailua-based Pacific Systems Solutions. “It actually decreases the time you need the crane because it increases productivity by 40% in the blind and 26% in open spaces,” he says.

Operators who have tried out the HookCam “absolutely love it,” says Peter Juhren, national service manager for Salem, Ore.-based Morrow Equipment LLC, one of the camera’s test outfits. “We were very impressed with the system.”

The HookCam rents for $1,250 a month, which includes installation, maintenance and repairs. Pacific Systems is working on a lower-tech model that it can sell because the current camera costs about $40,000. “We are trying to come out with a product that is easier to maintain and more user-friendly, where it is just plug and play,” Catanzaro says.