Building Your Own Backpack-Mounted Google Street View Device: A Comprehensive Guide

Google Street View has revolutionized the way we explore cities, towns, and even remote areas. While there are professional solutions available, building your own backpack-mounted Google Street View device is a fascinating DIY project. This article will guide you through the process, from selecting the right components to integrating the hardware and software systems.

Key Components and Hardware Selection

Building a backpack-mounted Google Street View device requires several key components. The most crucial element is a CMOS HD camera that is tiny in size and light enough to be mounted on your helmet or backpack. Additionally, you will need tiny mechanical loads including wiring that are stiff enough to ensure stability. A precision servo motor or a pan/tilt dual servo system can be used to mount the camera and ensure it can move in various directions.

These servos must be connected to a microcontroller board that can control the camera's movements, take photos, and log data. A microSD card is ideal for storing the images, while the microcontroller should also log the angular positions of the motors, record the time the picture was taken, and save the filename. Additionally, a backpack/solar energy harvester/charger or just batteries for the components will be necessary.

Ensure that the device can withstand any extreme temperatures and that the servos can easily compensate for wind-induced disturbances. Once you have the logs, stitching the series of images together to create panoramic shots and blurring operator shadows is easily done in post-processing. For guidance on the image processing and rendering, you can contact your local university's Computer Science (CS) department or seek online resources.

Choosing the Right Servos

Selecting the right servo motors is crucial for the success of your project. Some options to consider include:

Brushless DC Servo Motors with Integrated Drive Controller by Teknic Integrated Servo Motors

If these are too expensive, you may need to build your own servo controllers for the motors. There are numerous DIY tutorials available online. The weight of the servos and the overall weight of the device can significantly impact the current draw from the batteries or solar cells. Therefore, it is essential to keep the brackets and motors as light as possible to minimize neck fatigue during extended usage.

Aerodynamics and Enclosures

For optimal performance, consider using thin, aerodynamic/wind-impervious optically-transparent enclosures to protect the camera and servos from wind disturbances. These enclosures should be designed to reduce the wind load on the device, ensuring that it can withstand varying wind conditions.

Optimizing Frame Rate and Quality

Your design goal should be to make everything as light as possible, which can help minimize operator neck fatigue. Additionally, you will need to experiment with the number of frames per second (fps) that you acquire to optimize the quality of the final rendering. Keep in mind that higher fps may reduce battery life, so find a balance that works best for your project.

Image Processing and Post-Processing

The image processing stage is crucial to ensure that only usable shots are included in the final panorama. Techniques such as:

Detection of blurry images or poor illumination Identification of shots taken when transitioning too quickly from shade to light Exclusion of images taken when the operator accidentally stumbles

are important steps in the image processing pipeline. Use post-processing software to stitch the images together and create the final panorama.