The Skypod is a ~6 foot boom that attaches to a standard camera tripod and holds a camera about nine feet in the air, pointing straight down. The boom extends several feet horizontally, enabling the photographer or videographer to capture pictures of a floor or table surface. I designed the Skypod so that I could take overhead video of the 2001 Icehouse tournament.
Full details of the Skypod, which was designed and built by Elliott C. Evans, can be found here http://www.ee0r.com/proj/skypod.html