VRAC - HOMCAM Homunculus Camera

Group ID: May11-23Client: Dr. Stephen GilbertAdvisor: Dr. Daji QiaoMembers: Kyoung-ho Lim, Michael Gledhill,

Michael Patterson, Ryan David, Travis Munn

VRAC - HOMCAMHomunculus Camera

ProblemDevelop a system that can capture a video with 360o coverage and wirelessly transmit that video to a remote base station in real-time.

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Market SurveyThere does not exist a solution which satisfies all of the following requirements:

• Simultaneous 360o video capture

• Wireless transmission

• Real-time video feeds

• Inconspicuous design

• Portable design

3/24http://www.0-360.com/

http://www.immersivemedia.com/products/capture.html

Project PlanDesign DocumentPhysical Prototype of systemDocuments describing testing of various

components and reasoning behind design decisions

Results of testing the final prototype

Deliverables

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Operating Environment

Possible Uses: EndlessAny environment in which a head piece of some

kind is used

Intended Use: Military ApplicationUsed for training exercises and combat

scenarios

Intended Use: Commercial Real EstateUsed for virtual tours of property development

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Technology AssumptionsCommercial CamerasCommercial Transmitters Network ProtocolHardware and Software

Our Assumptions have remained constant throughout our research and design process.

Assumptions

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Inconspicuous and lightVideo QualityComputing Power is minimalLarger Bandwidth needsNetwork Range

Limitations

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IntegrationBattery FailureWireless Signal QualityCamera View Coverage

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Project Risks

Design - Conceptual

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The Pack

Design - Actual

ADC

ADC

ADC

ADC

USB802.11

n

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Capability of video capturing with cameraThe cameras must be able to capture 360˚ horizontal

coverage.Capability to transmit video signals

System must be able to wirelessly transmit all video feeds over a range up to 50-100 meters.

Video streaming must be as close to real-time as possible.Capability to receive and display video footage

System must include a base station with software to display the collected video feeds.

Mobility of power supplyBattery must last 4-8 hours under standard operational load.Battery must be small and light enough to carry and wear.

Design – Functional Requirements

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Part Source Purpose Cost Qty.

PC823XP Wide Angle Camera

SuperCircuits www.supercircuits.com

Video capture

$79.99 4

Camera battery SuperCircuits www.supercircuits.com

Powers the cameras

$89.99 1

SVG3 USB Video Capture Device

SuperCircuits www.supercircuits.com

Analog to digital signal conversion

$49.99 4

BeagleBoard XM Digi-Key www.digikey.com

Processing, facilitate networking between devices

$179.00 1

BeagleJuice Liquidware www.liquidware.com

Powers the BeagleBoard

$88.73 1

TEW-664UB Dual-band 802.11n wireless transmitter

TrendNet Transmit video streams

$41.24 1

TEW-639GR 300Mbps Wireless N Router

TrendNet Receive video stream

$89.99 1

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Design – Parts List

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The PC823XP Camera Array90-100 degrees of coverage eachFour totalAnalog outputLow power consumption (3.6 watts)

Design – Video Capture Devices

12v Li-Ion Battery PackOver 12 hours of battery life

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SVG3 USB Video Capture ArrayConverts analog signal to digitalOutputs 30 frames per secondOutput format is uncompressed AVIFour total, one for each camera

Design – ADC adapters

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BeagleBoard XMSmall form factor1 GHz Cortex processor512 MB RAM4 USB 2.0 interfacesLow power consumption

Design – Mobile Computing

BeagleJuice Battery PackOver 6 hours of battery life

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SoftwareDependent on operating systemLinux Ubuntu

V4L (Video for linux)Many different options

Windows CEStill exploring options

Design – Mobile Computing

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Design – Wireless TransferWireless 802.11 n Dual Band

Optimal Bandwidth of 300 Mbps

Meets the required range of 50-100 meters

USB 2.0 interfaceWireless 802.11 n Dual Band Router

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For purposes of testing hardware components, we will start with a simple VLC client.

If time permits, we may build a simple client interface. However, this is not required as part of our project, and an advanced interface will likely be designed by a graduate student at a later date.

Display Options

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Item Total Cost

PC823XP Wide Angle Camera $319.08Camera Battery $89.99SVG3 USB Video Capture $199.96BeagleBoard-XM $179.00BeagleJuice $88.73TEW-664UB Dual-band 802.11n wireless transmitter

$41.24

TEW-639GR 300Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router

$89.99

Total $1007.99

Cost Analysis

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IndividualCamera FOVTorture test of

batteriesWireless rangeVideo

delay/synchronization

IntegratedCompatibilityData throughputUsability

Testing Approach

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Resources – Budget & TimeBudgetTotal initial budget: $2500Current cost estimate: ~$1000$1500 under budget if all goes according to plan

TimeIndividual weekly commitment is estimated to

be an average 10 hours per week.Total man hours are estimated at 1500 (300

hours per group member)

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Resources – Cont.Schedule

We have been consistently on, or slightly ahead of schedule.

Week 23-Aug 30-Aug 6-Sep 13-Sep 20-Sep 27-Sep 4-Oct 11-Oct 18-Oct 25-Oct 1-Nov 8-Nov 15-Nov 22-Nov 29-Nov 6-Dec 13-DecProject Plan *** *** *** *** *** *** ***                    

Establish   *** *** *** *** *** ***                    Research       *** *** *** ***                    

Design               *** *** *** *** *** ***        Hardware               *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Initial Parts List                 *** *** ***            Hardware                   *** *** ***          

Parts Evaluation                     *** *** ***        Final Parts List                         *** *** *** ***  

Order Hardware                                 ***Shaded area depicts original estimate schedule while *** area depicts actual schedule.

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ResearchHardware - completeSoftware – infancy state

HardwareDecided on parts listMajority of hardware ordered

SoftwareResearch state

Work Thus Far

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EveryoneDocumentation, Research, Testing

Kyoung-ho Lim (Research Head)Power options, ADC, Cameras

Michael Gledhill (Manager)Mobile Computing, Software (Compression), Wireless Transmission

Michael Patterson (Scribe)Mobile Computing, Display Options

Ryan David (Webmaster)Wireless Transmission, Power options

Travis Munn (Communications)Mobile Computing, Client Communications

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Work Breakdown

Questions?

Thank You!