Reg reader crafts 3-axis GoPro 'Stubilizer' for skull-mounted cameras

Design question

Will it be waterproof?

I'm in...

If there will be a way to mount one of these on a DJI Phantom.

Any plans to support other cameras, and how much will it weigh?

Bravo - great work so far!

Why's it always KickStarter these days?

Firstly, wonderful project and well done on all the hard work.

But it seems like KS is obligatory now, and innovative companies have been growing all over the place for decades... did you already approach the more traditional channels?

I'd have thought this would also be a perfect thing to apply for Dragons' Den btw, if you're of that bent.

My first thought was that this is just the front off of a TBS discovery, he hasn't invented anything. But on reading on that impression seems to be more of the bad choice by the Reg of exagerating in the headline. Actually it was a pretty interesting article on how to refine a design.

Vertical learning curve?

Great project, but - shouldn't that be "horizontal learning curve"

Plot "knowledge needed to complete task" against elapsed time - vertical rather implies taking no time at all to learn it all...

Stu - Fancy renting me the prototype?

I'm just booking up a fairly significant flight, and I'd kinda like a way to video it. Should happen next month, with a bit of luck.

How well does this handle high-G situations? :-)

Vic.

Nice idea...

...but you're having to move the entire bulk of the camera instead of just the sensor. If you were just moving the sensor you'd have a lot less mass to deal with, both in terms of the sensor payload and the mounting itself. This would considerably reduce its mass, size and, as a consequence, its power draw, as well as making it more comfortable and safer to use.

Once you've proved your initial/Mk 1. version you'll really need to sort out either a supply deal for the sensor and electronics, sans casing, or a licensing deal for manufacture by the camera makers (which I think would probably be your best bet).

One good thing is that you've got some publicity, via this article, which strengthens your negotiating position re supply/manufacturing deals; I notice that there's no mention of patents in the article but I believe that having gone public means that it's now unpatentable due to prior art, so whilst anyone could now take your idea and start churning out their own 'Mk 2.' version the goodwill they'd get by not ripping-off your idea would probably make it worth their while to reach an agreement with you.

Btw, what's the problem with PID controllers? Sure, they need to be tuned for any specific application, which can be a pain, but that's a one-off task. On the plus-side, digital/sw PID controllers are extremly simple and efficient, and (joke alert) they can even be implemented in analogue.

Good work..

This has some potential and I applaud your efforts and wish you every success with it ! I use CAD all day in my job and it is really a pig when you have to try and import from various packages to others.

As other paragliders on here have said, the main issue is some kind of weak link for helmet mounting, depending on the type of flying you do.

I use a gopro on a knee mount for acro flying so that I can monitor my wing and hand positions for analysis after landing. I have used a helmet cam before but always with an elasticated tear-off strap and a long safety line to my harness strap so I don't lose the camera. If you have ever seen a fixed helmet cam getting caught up in a pile of loose lines following an asymetric collapse or cravat you know what I mean.