Searching for Stability
Contents
Description
Project Overview
Our project is to create a bike-mounted stabilizing platform for iPhone cinematography. Most stabilizing mechanisms on the market today are both bulky and pricey. We hope to disassemble these complicated gimbal mechanisms into their raw components and create a compact but efficacious product. If we can create a cost effective, quality device for stabilizing video footage, applications could be innumerable, from handheld usage to RC and aerial filming and photography.
Stability of the iPhone will be attained using a combination of a two-axis gimbal paired with additional stabilizing components such as vibration dampening cushions.
By the end of the semester we will be able to present iPhone footage from our device to illustrate the stabilizing capabilities of our design.
Project Objectives
- Research principles and current techniques employed to achieve stability
- Design and construct a practical and functional mounting device for an iPhone on a bike
- 3D print a two-axis gimbal to regulate motion of the mounted phone
- Design and embed the gimbal and additional stability elements either onto or within the mounting platform itself
- Successfully stabilize the iPhone while recording a video from a moving bike
Project Challenges
- Identifying appropriate motors to carry out the stabilization of the platform
- Designing the mounting device and modifying gimbal design using 3D printer
- Perfecting the programming of the control board
- Finding the most effective dampening cushions considering size and weight of platform
- Compacting all elements of the design to create an unobtrusive stabilizing device\
Budget
- Parts Ordered Online
- Hardware and Miscellaneous Items ($15.00)
- Screws
- Wire
- Wire Snap Connectors
- And other unforeseen items necessary for assembly
- Finally we would like to hold $30 in reserve which will only be used if we need to purchase replacement brushless gimbal motors due to the malfunction of our original motors
Total: $147.54 (including the $30 reserve)