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Posts: 6416
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
My first hardware design is alive
Since leaving Microsoft a couple of years ago, I have been learning to program iOS and Android and playing around with hardware. Wearable tech., motion sensing, personal area networks and smartphones is where the action is at in my business.
Later this year I will be going to Kickstarter with a device that I cannot talk about too much right now, but I received the first prototype from our engineer this week (based on my architectural design) and wrote some code to test it, which I would like to share with you.
This is just one of many, many applications I envisage for this cheap, wireless motion sensing device, but in this example it is behaving as as an inertial navigation system. Imagine a toy quadcopter with one of these light devices attached, transmitting data over 50m or so to an iPhone or iPad. It uses the same chip as Google Glass, the CPU is fully programmable with the Arduino IDE and it will be about half the size of the prototype in production.
Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to Escribano)
So long as you think that there is a good market for this stuff ......Google Glass for example i dont think will take off , unless it is significantly changed and the price comes down ... It kind of looks like it will have military applications..
However thanks for showing us your your prototype video .... you have obviously put a large ammount of time and effort into it so far ....good luck with your future plans ,, and well done ...
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to Escribano)
I wonder if I understand your example. I'm thinking about a friend who's a remote control plane fanatic. He attaches a mini video recorder to his plane, then later downloads the video. Is there potential for the video be transmitted directly to his iphone? He'd buy it for sure. Congratulations Simon. Now get us a holiday organised - you must be ready for one.
Posts: 6416
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to El Kiko)
Like most technology developments (like the Internet itself) it is driven by military funding and research. Drones (a loaded term) and Google Glass are current technology, whether one agrees with the social and political implications of them. I don't, but they set out the stall and if I want to keep up with my profession, this is a good way to stand out from the crowd and get a decent job in hard times.
I already have a client interested in this for sensing sports-related motion e.g. cricket, tennis and swimming. Another is a surgeon who wants to visualise the orientation of instruments during internal procedures for training and safety e.g. an endoscope.
You may have heard of Fitbit or other bracelets that monitor activity and movement over time? This is the revolution in wearable technology and my device can match and beat them in all 6 degress of motion i.e. linear motion, yaw, roll and pitch.
I am working on a number of example scenarios including a glass that will notify the waiter that it is empty (through decreasing weight), same goes for plates of food; and a bracelet to visualise the motion of a flameno dancer.
In fact, any dumb object can be recorded, visualised and analysed on a smartphone, Mac, PC or tablet.
Posts: 6416
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to val)
quote:
Is there potential for the video be transmitted directly to his iphone? He'd buy it for sure.
There is some potential, but not with this device. There are many solutions out there if you Google RC FPV. However it could overlay instrument data onto such a video stream.
My device can detect and transmit motion data in 6 degrees of freedom to display virtual cockpit instruments on a smartphone or tablet. The range is limited to around 50m. Suitable for indoor quadcopters, for example.
This is not the end game for me, I want to enable others to come up with their own solutions in many different fields and build them easily.
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to Escribano)
Couldn´t check the videos.
It´s been predicted for a while that remote controlled or programmed devices will be of the size of flies sometime, and maybe even of such shape.
I love gadgets and to see technology develop ever further into what you could had only dreamed up before. Only that all that can be misused will be misused by exploiting powers and their hosts.
So, for philanthrops or environmentalists coming things like spying flies might not present friendly devices. And industrial spying might be seeing a leap too. -
Had I such a device I could use it to find out who the people are that molest my dogs. That would be a constructive application for sure.
Imagine, the minute there be barking the flying device would start off while I run for the remote and screen. Then flying behind the intruders and following them to their homes.
Getting suckers at their butts. -
Thelike tech should also allow for unseen wild life documentaries, provided their noise be small enough ( ressembling flying insects ) and the video resolution sufficiently high. Especially the BBC and their leading wild-life shooters would know how to engage such devices.
How far is that from when I was craving for a remote-controlled cessna. Got the kit, but never the engine and Ctrl. -
Always forget to ask friends to bring me over one of those little actual things to fly around with in my living room. :O)
Ruphus
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Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to Escribano)
Oh yes I can well think of many applications that would want to record the position of objects and people over a period of time for example .....and it is the spin off technology that often takes over the original use ,,, like the military internet that you mentioned .
As to the Fitbit bracelet ,, try sticking one on Paco's wrist when hes practicing rasguerdos and see if he can break it ....
Interesting one about notifying the waiter when the glass is empty , as now we might get an answer to the question ''Is the glass half empty or half full?
Just out of curiosity does it detect , or can it be adapted to detect velocity as well ?
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to Escribano)
Thank you for the GIF, Simon. Fascinating!
Once again, actual possibilities with todays tech are stunning.
I can see so many applications with this one. Starting with drivers recorder ( ideally / hypothetically only used for accident and crime tracking ) that would be so precise that the days of guilty participants´denial should be over for good ( making current video apps in cars superfluous ). Also bothering and endangering of other drivers or pedestrians should be a no-brainer / making it worth for effected to sue offenders and obstructives ( if that´s the right term for selfish AHs who hinder traffic). - Which I personally welcome, if only traffic can be cleansed of reckless and psychotic individuals who actualy should not be left motorized vehicles to. ( Not intending to sound too sterile with this. Have always been a speedster myself on open ways, whether with cars or motorbikes, however considerate against other trafficers. Trying to not even scare them by sudden pass.)
Next, all the application for precise flight tracking whether with airborn devices or flying birds and insects. Biologists will be freaking excited! And if natural examples are already inspiring to aircraft construction, with parameter tracking like this we shall be seing very interesting A&D outcome on top not too far in the future.
Don´t know in how far patenting can cover your project, Simon, but if there be substantial cover I would think there be quite some biz. Just imagine a company like Samsung incorporating such into their mobile devices, from watches to smart phones. ... Great time for concerned parents and maybe pet owners; bad time for escapades. ;O/
One question: Down to which increments does civil GPS allow these days?
Posts: 6416
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to Escribano)
Here's another visualisation of the same device that I did today. The prototype is fixed to a stick and wired to the computer, but the next step is send the data over bluetooth low energy to an iPhone. This is cracking the problem of positional information in 2 dimensions (X,Y) from just motion sensors. I will be trying it in 3 dimensions (X,Y,Z) soon.
This means we will be able to transmit and visualise a tennis racquet in motion in 3 dimensions, for example and leave a trace of the stroke as well as the orientation of the racquet. The point of view i.e. the 'camera angle' can also be rotated 360 degrees. Imagine the audience at Wimbledon being able to replay a shot on their iPhone with all the telemetry associated with it? This is basically poor man's motion capture like in the movies.
RE: My first hardware design is alive (in reply to Escribano)
Probably leaving behind umemployed linesman and hopefully BS counting boxing juries to mention only two of the sport section.
Provided you could be scanning in any object, inlcuding limbs ...
I can´t stand common martial arts movies, because of the ridiculously spun effects, while in fact some budo artistics, but before all actual action of Wing Tsun ( if made visible to the untrained eyes), bears so much more fascinating accomplishment than any unreal guys´ jumps up on roofs or sticking against walls & etc. nonesense.
I have been waiting for a realistic film ( whether movie or documentary) that would show the actual phenomenon of realtime reaction to any movement in the unique way featured by what is named Chi sao. If I understand your application right, its technology would allow to now even make something like Chi sao visible to everyone.
It would kick all of martial arts footage made to date into the bin. Delivering the most freaking action scenes you ever seen. -
How will your baby allow moving of camera angle without an array of additional cameras around?
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