Hi @Brandon and @andredavidbrown,
While waiting for all electronic components to arrive here, I've been talking to Gilad of Bago Studio in Israel.
And here's my recent email to him:
Start of Email
Hi Gilad,
Thanks for your email!
I greatly appreciate your interest in the project; and
Thank you for the offer of a slightly more inexpensive price for your services!
Yes, 3D printing would be more accessible, ubiquitous and inexpensive for end users.
But I tried it out, and got a prototype that easily breaks, quite bulky, and very difficult to assemble.
So I’m assuming others without significant 3D printing experience or high-end equipment, would likely run into the same problems, especially blind users like myself.
So instead, I was thinking a small factory here or overseas can perhaps be asked to manufacture a plastic injection mold, and they can produce small batches of units as I get orders from my contact organizations that look after the welfare of blind and visually impaired persons here and overseas.
Anyway, please kindly allow me to go through each of your comments.
— Warning: Long Email!
A. Electronic Hardware Requirements
- DepthAI Board, Cameras & SBC (Single Board Computer)
• Yes. Just like the RPi SBCs, the design files of DepthAI board and cameras are all open;
• All hardware design files of the DepthAI module is found here;
• Meanwhile, this is DepthAI’s product page; and
• As you’ll see in that page, DepthAI has the following 3 editions:
a) DepthAI RPi Compute Module Edition
— This is the DepthAI board, mounted unto the RPi CM3+; and
— On top of the DepthAI board are the 2 left-and-right grayscale cameras and the center color camera.
b) DepthAI USB3 Onboard Camera Edition
— This is the same thing. Minus the RPi CM3+; and
— This is for connecting it to any host computer like an RPi Zero WH or Intel’s Compute Stick, or anything with an OS that can run OpenVINO.
c) DepthAI USB3 FFC Edition
— This is the DepthAI board with MIPI-CSI2 ports for the cameras; and
— The cameras can be ordered separately. 12cm FFCs would probably be available at the moment.
- 3D Tracking & Gesture Control Board
• This is the Flick Zero board. It’s product page can be found here;
• This is to perform gestures for issuing commands, i.e. Select and activate / deactivate options, etc.;
• This board has small dimensions and a 40-pin GPIO interface; and
• This can be connected to the SBC through a 40-pin flat ribbon cable (female to male), similar to this one here (though much longer).
- Battery & Power Management Board
• A good option for a power management board is the Zero2Go Omini;
— It supports 3 types of batteries, including a USB powerbank;
• As for a battery, a good option is the Anker PowerCore2 6700 mAh powerbank;
— It’s a really small USB powerbank;
• Another option for a battery and power management board combo is the PiSugar2 Pro;
— It’s connected at the bottom of a compatible SBC like the RPi SBCs;
— But it’s currently out of stock; and
• Eitherway, the objective is to provide 5v 2a power that can be monitored and programmatically controlled.
- USB WiFi & Bluetooth Dongles (Optional, Depending on SBC)
• If the RPi CM3+ is used, then a WiFi dongle as well as a Bluetooth dongle are needed;
— These are options for tiny compatible WiFi dongle and Bluetooth dongle; and
• But if an RPi Zero WH is used, then these dongles won’t be necessary as this SBC has them built in.
- Bluetooth Audio Output Device
• I’m thinking a pair of these Bluetooth open ear audio eyeglasses would be a good option for this;
• There are others like these here, so this’ll depend on the user; and
• The user can even opt to get just a Bluetooth headset or earbuds.
B. Mount / Case & Product Design Ideas
I. Minimalist Approach
• 1st Case
— Small, slim case for the DepthAI USB3 Onboard camera edition and the Flick Zero gesture board;
— The length of the DepthAI board is really close to the length of the gesture control board;
— The width of these boards are also quite similar;
— They can be aligned length-wise;
— So the case’s width including walls would just be a little bit wider than these boards’ combined widths; and
— Magnetic clips built at the back of this case, so it can be attached to the user’s shirt (front neckline).
• 2nd Case
— Another small, slim case for the SBC, battery and power management board;
— Magnetic clips built at the back of this case, so users can clip it to their trouser’s belt straps; and
— Openings for SBC’s power on / off and reset buttons, HDMI and USB ports, among others (depending on the SBC).
• Connector Cable
— 40-pin flat ribbon connector from Flick Zero gesture board to SBC, combined with wire connectors from DepthAI board to SBC; and
— Insulated cover to combine these as one thin cable.
** Advantages
• Users can choose any Bluetooth audio output device that they prefer;
• Quicker and simpler to assemble, fabricate and optimize for a production version; and
• Can be more inexpensive to produce, so also cheaper for end users.
** Disadvantages
• Users need to tilt their bodies, instead of just their heads;
• As a completely blind person myself, I believe there are certain instances, though just a few, where doing this would be a bit unnatural; and
• Nevertheless, a little getting used to wearing and using this would definitely help.
II. Difficult Approach
• 1st Case
— A custom PCB needs to be designed to hold all 3 cameras;
— This should be designed in a way that can be integrated into the frame of a pair of eyeglasses;
— Left and right cameras situated at the ends of the front frame;
— Center camera at the center (nose bridge area of the frame);
— Hollow frame where FFC cables will be inserted;
— Tiny Bluetooth TWS (true wireless stereo) boards, tiny speakers with a tiny battery need to be integrated into each arm of the eyeglasses;
— These also need to be designed following modern open ear directional sound output specifications; and
— 3D printed or plastic injection molded frames should look like an ordinary pair of sports sunglasses (modern ordinary sports sunglasses are already thicker than others).
• 2nd Case
— A small, slim case for the DepthAI board, SBC, battery and power management board;
— Magnetic clips built at the back of this case;
— Cable connectors should be extra long, in order for users to attach the case to the belt holders of their trousers; and
— Openings for SBC’s power on / off and reset buttons, HDMI and USB ports, among others (depending on the SBC).
• Connector from 1st Case to 2nd Case
— Camera FFC connectors going out the ends of both arms of 1st case (eyeglasses frame) will meet at a certain point, in order to be combined as one thin insulated cable;
— This thin insulated cable will then be connected to the 2nd case; and
— While the user’s moving around, this unified insulated cable should be thin enough, in order to prevent the 1st case from moving too much.
• Ring Case for Tiny Bluetooth Button to Replace Gesture Control Board
— A tiny case shaped like a ring for the user’s finger; and
— This is for issuing commands to the device, i.e. Go through options, activate / deactivate, etc.
** Advantages
• Users can move their heads in more natural ways when trying to detect and recognize objects, read text, etc.
** Disadvantages
• Is not at all simple to produce, fabricate and optimize;
• Can be quite time-consuming and expensive to design and produce; and
• Would also likely be more expensive and difficult to assemble for end users.
Well, these are my ideas.
I’d greatly appreciate your comments.
Thanks again for your time and interest in helping me out!
Best Regards,
Marx
End of Email
I'm now waiting for Gilad's response.
Thoughts? Thanks for your time! 🙂
Almost 70% of blind Filipino adults here in the country recently lost their ONLY income source. That's due to gov't mandated lockdowns as a response to CoViD-19, as they're masseurs; and