A couple of weeks ago I received an EDUPOV sample kit. It was easy to record a couple of videos with, so I have passed the 2 kits to some of the teachers I work with who load instructional videos to the net. The chefs had a go, HortyKim is trying it out next week, and one of the art teachers promises something interesting.
Well, is it versitile?
I’m a big fan of the concept of Point of View (PoV). Its what Web2 has been all about. All those quality freaks have had to bow down and accept the miracle of Youtube, and see how it has influenced TV and cinema. We have come to love the authenticity of the PoV.
But since trying the EDUPOV kit I have thought the set up needs refining. It need sto be simple, out of the way, versatile, strong and not precious. It needs to be usable and something you can whip out, use and put away. No fuss.
EDUPOV have centred their development thinking around eye glasses. I think that is a mistake. Apart from it looking pretty daggy, we all seem to be having a small problem getting the right angle in the recordings. The glasses would come off too easy in those running for cover action times, they’d fog up, they’d get to be clumsy and uncomfortable, they reflect light like all glasses do, they don’t give you the right angle, break too easily, can’t be comfortably worn over existing glasses, and in the case of the EDUPOV, still require somewhere to tuck the cable and the hard drive. Oh, and when it comes to people recording, the glasses are too conspicuous for both the recorder and the recordee.
PETZL ultra
Petzl mini
Enter the head torch. I have used head torches for about 15 years now. Ask any adventure sports person to show you their torch, and I guarantee you they will show you a head torch. Like the POV cameras, head torches allow the user hands free operation. Wearing a head torch you can set up a tent, cook a meal, read a book in bed, fix gear in low light, walk out at night, abseil off a cliff in the dark, go caving, etc etc. All these things are impossibly difficult with a hand held torch and like wise for a hand held camera. But its moments like those when I want a camera the most!
Take the state of the art PETZL head lamp, drop in a lense, microphone and SD card slot, and you have me buying one for $300
So I think the POV lens should be mounted in the head torch for use both day and night. Right in there with the LEDs. Not only does the camera now work in the dark, but you could use the LEDs to approximate the field of view that is being captured to video. The head torch design is already standardised to fit to safety helmets, and some even come with detachable options so you can take the torch off and mount it somewhere fixed for those moments when we all want to get in the shot.
If the POV lens was mounted in a smick head torch like a PETZL, then the market for these things is significantly larger than edumacationalists who struggle to get creative ideas at the best of times. I’d say 1 in every 20 adventure sports people will want one, all military training personnel, industry, police, ambos.. pretty much anyone that already uses head torches and has a need to record video too. If you are used to using a head torch, then you are automatically used to using a POV. If you have experienced camping with geeks and head torches, you’d know that it doesn’t take long to stop noticing them and start just doing what ever it is you’re doing.
So EDUPOV.. how about a head torch camera?
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March 7, 2009 at 1:03 am
alexanderhayes
I Leigh….I agree with all your sentiments.
My enthusiasm is for the CONCEPT of POV.
There are so many things that need improvement and heaps of things that Geoff has tested and continues to.
With so many variants on the market in their clumsy states it takes people like you with a sharp mind to come up with key ideas like you have.
The idea of the camera buried behind the LED’s is just a great idea !
I have a contact in Fremantle , Western Australia who might be able to help. Also, check this post out – http://www.edupov.com/2009/03/head-mounted-povs/ – …..you might just find what your looking for.
🙂
March 7, 2009 at 2:00 am
alexanderhayes
…how about some decent cyborg transhumanist meets educators discussions – http://www.edupov.com/2009/03/bionic-pov/
March 7, 2009 at 5:38 am
Rachel Gillies
yes – i totally agree…i’d get one!
March 7, 2009 at 11:13 pm
alexanderhayes
That’s one wacky duck video…whats with the text overlay and African soundtrack ?
March 7, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Geoff Lubich
Hi Leigh
Yes you are partially right in all you say, but it is important that you and all people who will use this type of technology remember. Is that you can contextualize it to whatever the need is.
The thought of having a camera that can be tilted to suit the field of view and as such the environment in which it will be used is as old as PoV.
I am working on a hinge that will allow just that, as a matter of fact i have found one that will work with UVEX super g safety glasses, to allow just that. Total weight with camera 45grms.
As to whats best for a user to have, thats where the contexualization comes in, take the kit and make it do what you want.
As to the question of glasses or other head mount methods, it depends on what the user is doing. A tradesman working in a workshop is required to wear safety glasses, so in that instance why not a pair of safety glass cameras, rather than glasses and then the additional mounts and cameras. It is also important to note that when working in a box measuring about 450mm square directly in front of you you need to have the camera mounted as close to eye line as possible to avoid real problems with the field of view
Micro cameras are already available in both infra red and daylight that are fitted with LEDs and can be mounted pretty much where you want, they are even available with on board recording.
You are talking to the converted here, but rather than look at individual methods, think about the idea, users will take it wherever they need.
March 10, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Kirsty
I like the idea of working with smaller memory storage – eg SD or Micro SD cards so the battery drain is less. This also makes headmounting or other setups more flexible.
The difficulty my group had last year was the limitation of working with ‘unhinged’ camera glasses and the range of vision being directly in front of you, rather than at hand height if working at desk or workbench level.
Having a device that learners could easily get comfortable with for filming their own activity to gather evidence of learning or material for feedback and review as part of the learning process is key and widens the potential user groups. It would be interesting to trial and gauge acceptance levels of a few models (and perhaps compare student/teacher reactions).
March 11, 2009 at 2:18 pm
michael chalk
Love this idea Leigh! Very exciting.
Wish i were in Sydney for your workshops (Melbourne?) ..
btw, talking of context, have you seen the “Wearable Computer” from the Taser Company. i think it’s just what we’re looking for. But their clientele is .. more about law enforcement than education.
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/03/taseraxon.html
i wonder if the company has an educational arm?
best regards, michael
March 11, 2009 at 2:43 pm
electro-textual » Blog Archive » POV camera .. meets Taser !
[…] initiative from Leigh Blackall over in Otago, NZ. He and Michael and Alex have been experimenting with a wild new concept known as the Point of View […]