|
|
|
|
|
<pictures are temporary dropped>
Preparing user test
I've visited the Henri Viscardi School last Thursday to test my second prototype. Before I met K, I prepared a switch, a pieace of velcro for attaching it to a wheelchair, a mount for wheelchair that a gorilla tripod would be attached to.
K was so excited and he looked carefully whole preparation I did.
* Here are some pictures he took using the camera and some pictures were taken by me. All pictures in this entry were permitted to use. I couldn't post wonderful pictures of him with a full of smile. I hope I can get a permission later. The pictures he took were just resized and not retouched.
Start taking a picture
 
* the very first picture K took. * I asked him to take me. (Thank you K)
He couldn't wait to take pictures. Just right after I finished setting, he started to press the switch for releasing a shutter before I gave him instructions how to use it.
Different pictures of the same model
 
* moved toward a model
After taking the left picture, I said to him how about took larger portrait of her. Then, he moved toward her and adjusted a right and left direction.
Taking a Portrait
* portrait of his operational therapist (even though I got a permission, I mosaicked.)
To take this picture, he tried found a good background and asked her to sit. The bendable tripod on the mount and the blue switch on the left side were shown in this picture.
Learning a technique for better picture
 
* shaken * unshaken
He was so excited that he didn't stop moving his body after releasing the shutter. Since an actual releasing the shutter happens two seconds after pressing a switch for avoiding the shaking, the pictures were shaken. I told him keep calm for a better quality picture and he followed it well.
Testing a mobility
 
* (resized and mosaicked) * the picture he took
K, his operational therapist, his physical therapist and I walked around in the school with him to take pictures. The one of main concerns of this project was a mobility, and it was successful. Many students who encountered with us also loved the camera system.
Stepping closer to his wish
* His favorite pictures of the day.
One of hallways was a little crowded but he tried to take this picture. The camera system didn't have move up and down function yet so I raised the angle for him. After whole picture-taking tour with him, he asked me to send this picture to his email account. (He had a verbal disability so it also took long time to catch what he wanted.) His OT said, he was expressing he had his wish.
After photographing
After he took lots of pictures, we downloaded them to a laptop and looked through the pictures together. He used a joystick to move forward and back to see photos as never stopping his smile.
User tesing continued
I also tested with three other students. Because I used the bendable tripod and a standard socket for switches, the system was able to use by all of them.
 
* front side * back side
Not only K but every students were enjoying to take pictures especially of their teachers. One of them wanted to take one of her teachers and we needed to move around the school to find her.
Feedback
1. Students as well as teachers were so happy and one of them said she was totally speechless.
2. Now the system has just one switch. If I add a zoom function, the number of buttons will become three (or two). And, the moving up-and-down functions also need additional buttons. The therapists recommended me to use fewer switches because too many switches were not good for most students. So I should consider the trade-off of functions and usability.
3. When I said a motor would be one of solutions for moving camera up-and-down, they recommended me to use a lower tech device such as mechanical one rather than electrical one. Using low tech means a better device for maintenance .
4. They requested the instructions how they make the same system such as a model of camera and a remote controller. And, they asked me a lot about the remote controller hacking part.
As I wrote the previous entry, I will use gentled devices for a future system because the therapists of the school wanted a sustainable product rather than an one-time product.
Future Plan
1. test gentled
2. build viewer software
3. finish auto-files-download script
4. combine #2 and #3 software in a single program
5. make multiple user version of #4 program
6. make a professional version of whole system. (using Canon SDK including various functions such as white balance, aperture, exposure and ISO)
|
|
|
| Track this back : http://itp.nyu.edu/~yc581/blog/trackback/152 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Click a picture to see bigger one.)
For the Camera For K project, I hacked the Canon WL-DC100 Wireless Controller so that disabilities can operate a camera using their familiar input devices such as a big switch button, a joystick and a touch switch button. Here is the process of it.
1. Preparing Step
 
* smaller than expected * using 3V CR 2025 battery
 
* no signal * emitting signal
A remote controller usually uses Infra Red (IR) LED that we can't see with our eyes but can see through a camera. BUT, DO NOT BELIEVE THIS. I saw an IR signal but, the remote controller didn't work at all. It worked after changing a battery.
2. Start Hacking
 
* Uncover the button surface * Back side of the board
I opened to figure out how I could hack this. The front side was so simple, it seemed just closing the circuit would be work perfect. But, the back side looked I couldn't solder by my hand because every part was too tiny as well as hard to find the connection status.
* schematic of the switch circuit.
I tested the circuit and found that I didn't need 16 wires (8 button x 2 wires/button) but, only 7 wires becuase buttons were sharing the connections.
3. Soldering - totally struggled
 
* first piece * using guidance of solder
The part using for the original button didn't have good surface for soldering. Therefore I uncovered the coating with fine-metal-wool so that make it better for solder and then covered with hot glue.(left pic) At first time, it seemed fine but turned out very unstable connection.
I've tried several alternative methods such as put guidance of solder. (right pic) It also failed.
* forced the wire (with tape in this picture)
The next thing I tried was physically pressing the wire after soldering to attach firmly with the surface. It worked well so I went further step.
* took IR LED out from the remote controller
I re-wired IR LED by unsoldering and soldering so that I can just attach LED rather than whole remote controller to a camera. BUT, in this step, the remote controller was broken. I think I burned the circuit.
4. Final product and test
 
* Testing * connect to 1/8" female socket
Finally, I made the same one with a new remote controller and tested successfully. Then, I connected the wires to 1/8" female mono audio socket for making an interface to connect with switches that the kids and the school already had and were familiar with. For examples,
 
* jelly bean switch (?) * microlite switch
5. Future Plan
Since, the connection is somehow unstable, I need to find better solutions. I researched with the keywords, "remote controller hack", and I got these results that described how to hack IR signal and make own remote controller.
http://www.thenorth.com/APBLOG4.nsf/0/5826429868D4A610852570E7001273D9
http://features.engadget.com/2004/07/27/how-to-turn-your-ipod-in-to-a-universal-infrared-remote-control/
http://www.gogglemarks.net/index.php?action=display&tag=irclock
http://users.tkk.fi/~jwagner/electr/d70remote/
http://www.chantalcurrid.com/remoteControl.htm
I also found this excellent product. - gentled. I will use devices for future products because the therapists of the school wanted a sustainable product rather than an one-time product. I will write more about this issue soon.
|
|
|
| Track this back : http://itp.nyu.edu/~yc581/blog/trackback/151 |
|
|
|
Commented by John S at 2007/04/24 15:29 
