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Can someone let me know if there's a better thread for this question? This seems to be the most general case "maker" thread I can find. My fiance wants to make a kiosk she can bring to makerfaires. The core features she wants in the kiosk are eye tracking and thermal printing. Thermal printing is easy, we've done that befor. Eye tracking is trickier. We're finding a lot of dedicated hardware, and SDKs for various platforms: http://www.tobii.com/eyex https://theeyetribe.com/ http://www.visagetechnologies.com/new-release-of-visagesdk-includes-eye-tracking/ http://www.fixational.com/ Has anyone used any eye tracking hardware or software for any platform? What's good, what's not? That's the core feature of this kiosk, we can build the rest of it around it (android or iOS based with front facing camera, dedicated hardware + windows / mac / arduino / raspberry pi / propeller / etc) Chainclaw fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Jun 22, 2015 |
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Jun 22, 2015 03:11
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That definitely sounds like a software problem. Might be worth asking in the programming forums, they'll be able to point you in the direction of something, probably an OpenCV moduleor something. Most software that runs on linux will work on RasPi or BBB, if the processing speed meets your requirements. I wouldn't expect a smaller microcontroller to be able to handle it.
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Jun 23, 2015 19:15
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I just (two weeks ago) joined SYNshop, a hackerspace in Las Vegas. Today I found this thread. Why I joined: I'm renting a condo and I have a small workspace in our one-car garage. The shop gives access to a larger space with tools and machines I either don't have space for or can't afford (jointer, planer, bandsaw, sanders, two CNC machines, laser cutter, 4-5 3D printers). Membership is $40 per month which I think is very reasonable. The membership structure is three tiers: non-members, regular members, and vetted members. Non-members can come to the shop and use the space during open hours, but cannot use any of the machines. Members can use the machines. Vetted members have 24/7 access and voting rights. Members become "vetted" by getting three existing vetted members to endorse their application saying they aren't going to burn the place down and/or steal all the tools. The board votes on applications for vetted membership at their monthly meeting. I might have some of this wrong, but that's how I understand it. Problems I've run into: Some of the tools are a little neglected or poor quality (cheap HF hand tools, dull/broken chisels, that kind of thing). On the other hand, they get important stuff fixed very quickly: the laser cutter exhaust fan went down on Friday afternoon and one of the board members came in early on Saturday and had it fixed before noon. A 3D printer nozzle clogged and someone drove over and fixed it right away. So they do care for their more expensive equipment, which is good. The "vetted member" structure seems to be working really well for them. As far as I know they haven't had any issues with theft. On the other hand, I kind of wish there was some other way to get vetted. This isn't necessarily a problem for everyone, but it's causing one for me. The shop is open whenever a vetted member can commit to being there and supervising others, so current open hours are 6-10PM on most weekdays and 3-10PM on Saturdays. Meanwhile, I have a lot of free time during the morning and early afternoon and little to none after 5PM. If I were a vetted member, I could be there during the day and potentially open the shop to other people, but to become a vetted member I have to get the endorsement of three existing vetted members, for which I'd have to be there during evenings and weekends. It's a little frustrating, but the vetted members I've met have been very friendly and nice, so I think it'll work itself out over time. I'm also experiencing first-hand the difference between "hackerspace" and "makerspace." There are a bunch of traditional tools, but the focus of the shop is definitely on the high-tech stuff like 3D printing and the laser cutter. The shop is divided into two main areas: a classroom table/desk area out front containing the electronics, 3D printers, and laser cutter; and the "danger room" in the back containing the CNC machines and power tools. I've been in the shop before with 8 to 10 other people and been the only person in the "danger room" while everyone else is out front poking at software or 3D design stuff. That's cool, and I'd like to learn more about it, but I'd also like to meet more people from a traditional metal/woodworking background. There are still some of those people, but they are outnumbered. I have high hopes for this place. I've met quite a few other members who just seem like genuinely friendly, likable people. On my first visit, I helped someone with a woodworking project and prevented someone else from making a potentially dangerous mistake with the table saw. The membership is almost completely devoid of that nerd-proud "well actually" thing that I can't stand, and it seems like the people there really do want to learn from each other and help out. I spent most of my last visit helping another member with a shop maintenance project instead of working on my own stuff and it was a lot of fun. In short, I'm getting what I want (a collaborative workspace with access to high-end tools) without a lot of nerd crap or weird cliques or anything like that. If I can make it work well enough to become a vetted member, I'm going to kill a lot of hours there.
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Jun 29, 2015 22:58
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If anyone else ends up looking for eye tracking hardware: I went with the Tobii Eye X after a lot of research. It's working OK in a limited test environment (at-home), but no clue how it would hold up at a makerfaire. I'm not that happy with its very high hardware requirements (at least a quad core PC + USB 3), as that will make the kiosk expensive to build. We'll make do, though.
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Jul 4, 2015 05:34
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People asking about swipe card access to tools: at work we just put a system into place using a touchscreen, raspberry pi and generic reader: the pi sends a signal to a spare input in a safety or start relay on each machine. Swipe, select the machine on the touchscreen, use the machine, if you select a second machine the first is deselected. Maybe £100 in parts for 6 machines? E: this obviously only works for fixed wired machines.
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Jul 5, 2015 14:03
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Presumably though everyone in the building is trained to use all the tools? A lot of hackspace access control issues are more about not allowing the use of tools by people who aren't trained on them.
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Jul 5, 2015 14:13
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Absolutely not, there's a register of who's trained on which machines, which the pi checks before unlocking. Our swipe cards work the coffee and snack machines coming straight out of our wages, so you have an incentive not to lose your card or share it around. 
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Jul 5, 2015 16:44
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Ooooh I missed the 'swipe' step in the description there herpderp. That's basically how ACNode works, too. Except it uses RFID rather than swipes because basically everyone in London routinely carries an RFID chipped card for use on the public transport system.
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Jul 5, 2015 16:48
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Hey Zuph, looks like one of your members (Caleb) is coming to visit us next week!
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Jul 17, 2015 12:52
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Is that the guy who is traveling to makerspaces all over the south-east for a student research project? He stopped by our place a few weeks ago and I met him briefly, nice person.
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Jul 20, 2015 03:42
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I'm not sure about the region, but yeah, he's doing a tour of something like 30+ spaces.
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Jul 20, 2015 13:05
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Hillridge posted:Hey Zuph, looks like one of your members (Caleb) is coming to visit us next week! Awesome! Didn't realize he was on the road again this summer. He's a good guy. He's managed to put a pretty big dent in his list of US Hackerspaces to visit.
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Jul 23, 2015 07:33
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Cakefool posted:Absolutely not, there's a register of who's trained on which machines, which the pi checks before unlocking. Do you have any more info on this? It sounds like a really good way of doing things, even the vending machine bit. Because... After four years of fighting to find a space in a toxic petri dish of a property market it looks like it might actually happen. It has literally gone from unrealistic pipe-dream to proposal meetings to talking leases and sponsorship in less than 48 hours thanks to a magical man with amazing connections who wants to be our patron. ReelBigLizard fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Jul 28, 2015 |
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Jul 28, 2015 22:51
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That's awesome news! What city/region are you in? We got some good news as well. We landed a $250,000 grant* to use toward moving into our new space and building out the second floor into a technology focused co-working space. *It's a tax credit based system, so we have to sell the credits before we get the money.
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Jul 30, 2015 01:55
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A small island called Guernsey, in the English Channel. We're mostly known as a "Tax Efficient" financial jurisdiction and so we have a lot of international banks taking all the commercial property and raising the property prices drastically across the board thanks to the high salaries they bring. https://www.google.com/search?q=guernsey Had a meeting with the guys I want as the management last night, the local organisation structures don't really have a direct translation internationally but we're looking at a sort of co-op type arrangement with all members as shareholders, governed by 4-5 of us with any profits continually rolled back into the space. We want the community to own the space, but we also don't want a too-many-chefs scenario hindering decision making. Got more properties to look at in the coming weeks and there's a beautiful space right in the centre of town that looks really promising so long as using a portion of it for workshop / prototyping won't be a problem with the government planning department. The local property use classes are ridiculous in both specificity and sheer number (there are 43 different, specific classes) and we don't fit into any of them. Just applying to change the use class of a property costs over £300 / $500 USD a time and they're notorious for rejection.
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Jul 30, 2015 11:18
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Wow, that is a level of local bureaucracy I am happy we do not need to deal with. Good call on a key group of decision makers. We try to keep all members informed as to what is happening, and hold "town hall" meetings where we discuss plans that will have large impacts (like moving), and try to get a feel for the group's opinion on things. In the end though, it is not a democracy, and the 7 member board of directors have the final authority on decisions. Even then bike-shedding is rampant, so I have no idea how true democratic spaces get anything done ever.
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Jul 30, 2015 14:01
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Hillridge posted:Even then bike-shedding is rampant, so I have no idea how true democratic spaces get anything done ever. While I was pres at LVL1, my approach was: Strictly enforce vote time limits, manually canvass stealth members, and word any broad, sweeping changes as limited mandates delegated to the board (empower the board to execute the moving plan as described, taking any actions deemed necessary to execute the plan before the end of our current lease, excluding items specifically disallowed by the bylaws). Didn't win me a ton of friends, but we managed to move in a timely manner without bankrupting the space, and managed to book over $35,000 in grants and donations while keeping membership well informed, and arguments to a minimum.
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Jul 30, 2015 14:53
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ReelBigLizard posted:Do you have any more info on this? It sounds like a really good way of doing things, even the vending machine bit. Because... It's three separate systems really, work issue us security passes that allow us to swipe in and out of various gates and doors, based on our clearance (that sounds cooler than it really is). The card data contains our employee number and an id/card id hash (so you can't duplicate your card) and when you swipe a door it contacts the central computer to check if you're allowed in, then opens the magnetic lock. The cash part is layered on top, there's a machine you put your card in, feed it cash and it updates the value on the card. Every machine you use is networked to verify your card doesn't suddenly contain extra money without being loaded, preventing clever people fraud. The machine access is a simple copy of the id system, but using a raspberry pi to check id number against a write protected text file, which contains the id of everyone trained on a machine and a binary value, each bit representing a particular machine. For example my id 00350 returns 00350 000010, meaning I'm trained on the machine with an address of 2, the bandsaw, but not the lathe(32), mill(16), cylindrical grinder(8), surface grinder(4) or drill press (1). Someone trained on everything would return ##### 111111. Swipe your card, press the button for the machine you want to turn on, if you're allowed to run it a simple relay closes that would otherwise break the safety circuit for that machine. (Actual skills and training changed to protect the innocent) does that make sense? And good luck on the space.
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Jul 30, 2015 20:20
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Random question, how do you handle finishing with a machine? Do you have to clock out, or does it shut off after a certain amount of inactivity, or what?
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Jul 30, 2015 20:25
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I can't speak for their machines, but a system that I've seen only enables the machine as long as the card is currently in the reader. It was an RFID based system which would be a bit easier.
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Jul 31, 2015 01:51
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we are still finishing up rfid for the doors (well the outside door, the inside door is good to go) but we would also definitely be interested in specifics for tool access. We've been up for only a few months and still work on the honor code there (and noone is allowed to touch woodworking or metalworking in the back room unless someone else is present)
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Jul 31, 2015 01:58
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Bad Munki posted:Random question, how do you handle finishing with a machine? Do you have to clock out, or does it shut off after a certain amount of inactivity, or what? As the pi relay is basically part of the safety circuit as soon as you hit the e-stop that's it. If you hit it accidentally go swipe back in, if not you're done. The safety won't reset without it. SOP is to hit an e-stop when you close the machine off anyway.
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Aug 1, 2015 22:32
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Sweet, looks like LVL1 just won a $50k SBA grant: http://www.lvl1.org/2015/08/04/lvl1-awarded-competitive-50k-sba-grant/ Looks like our ask included a nice 4x8 shopbot, some upgraded electronics prototyping equipment, an embroidery machine, along with heating/cooling/electrical upgrades to support it all.
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Aug 4, 2015 13:30
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Cakefool posted:contains the id of everyone trained on a machine and a binary value, each bit representing a particular machine. Props for making use of binary comparisons. I was flabbergasted to meet a loving DBA who didn't know what they were the other day. And thanks, we've just had a meeting at the proposed space and we're waiting to hear back from the landlord now.
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Aug 4, 2015 16:04
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UPDATE The landlord loves the idea! The agent doesn't see any problem with the property use category
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Aug 5, 2015 13:10
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UPDATE Turns out the landlords son is at Uni studying engineering, and is trying to set up a space at his university. No explanation needed, he's fully on board. We've also found a third of sponsorship funding in 3 days and we haven't even put out any proper materials. Just the other week I was extolling the virtues of the The Cthulhu Mythos to someone who was interested in pulp horror and now it feels like the stars are aligning - coincidence? I THINK NOT. Ia! Ia! Cthulhu f'tagn! Oh great sleeping master I will never again doubt your potency. What great cosmic terror will this endeavour reap? What can we build that will please thee?
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Aug 7, 2015 10:30
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Oh dear lord. We finally moved. Holy poo poo that took more than a year since we went public about the move, and nearly two since we knew it was in the offing. I printed a 3d scan of my head. We don't have any big tools yet nor any air extraction. But we moved! The space feels immense at the moment. It's a really nice setup apart from parking issues. And hideous traffic at the moment thanks to roadworks.
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Oct 24, 2015 23:02
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I run a digital scholarship center at a university and we built in a small maker space as part of it. Right now its basically just some electronics kits and 3D printers, but I just had some unexpected funds come my way to flesh this out a bit more. One thing I know we want to get is a laser cutter. I have been told there are some out there that are pretty decent and don't require special ventilation for around $15k. Anyone have recommendations?
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Nov 5, 2015 16:35
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Anyone participating in one of Barnes and nobles mini maker faires? Seems to be somewhat of a shitshow w/r/t organization, but we're hoping to make our local one ok
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Nov 5, 2015 22:27
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nesbit37 posted:I run a digital scholarship center at a university and we built in a small maker space as part of it. Right now its basically just some electronics kits and 3D printers, but I just had some unexpected funds come my way to flesh this out a bit more. One thing I know we want to get is a laser cutter. I have been told there are some out there that are pretty decent and don't require special ventilation for around $15k. Anyone have recommendations? I'd suggest getting in touch with the guys from https://www.justaddsharks.co.uk - they don't sell to the US to the best of my knowledge, but they might be able to point you to their suppliers in China, and they do excellent value laser cutters.
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Nov 6, 2015 00:53
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A Yolo Wizard posted:Anyone participating in one of Barnes and nobles mini maker faires? Seems to be somewhat of a shitshow w/r/t organization, but we're hoping to make our local one ok Yea. We're going to 2 of them. They're both basically going whatever you guys want to show or do is fine. Which is fine with me.
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Nov 6, 2015 01:07
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nesbit37 posted:I have been told there are some out there that are pretty decent and don't require special ventilation for around $15k. Anyone have recommendations? If you're cutting anything other than cardboard, you need ventilation. Look up Full Spectrums.
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Nov 6, 2015 01:45
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At 15k, you could even start looking at epilogs. Doing a quick search for epilog filter, it looks like there's a thriving market out there.
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Nov 6, 2015 03:24
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ante posted:If you're cutting anything other than cardboard, you need ventilation. Well, if the budget is 15k, a decent fume extractor (e.g. Purex) might be a possible addon. That'll allow you to cut most types of laserable plastic without any issues, as long as you keep up the filter changes (not inexpensive).
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Nov 6, 2015 07:35
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ante posted:If you're cutting anything other than cardboard, you need ventilation. We've got a commercial filter box on our small 40w laser. It's basically a giant bed of activated charcoal, with a HEPA filter and huge fan. We definitely couldn't have afforded it if it wasn't donated. On our large 80w laser, we filter through a carbon filter before dumping the air outside. This keeps the neighbors happy (no smell), but still gives us high airflow ventilation. We got the filter from a  hydroponic supply store, and refill it with fresh carbon about once ever 3 months. We also rigged an airflow sensor inline, so when the filter is all used up, it shuts the laser down.
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Nov 6, 2015 13:52
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ante posted:If you're cutting anything other than cardboard, you need ventilation. I know you need some sort of filtration, as others have chimed in on, but we can't just build in a ventilation channel to the outside which is what I need to avoid. Will look into the Full Spectrums and other things people have mentioned though, thanks.
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Nov 6, 2015 15:42
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thespaceinvader posted:Oh dear lord. Hmm, aren't you the guy involved with the Oxford hackspace? I really need to try and make it out there sometime - I went along to an evening once like a year ago and then was all  plus I've been messing around with software more than hardware lately :/
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Nov 6, 2015 16:33
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nesbit37 posted:I know you need some sort of filtration, as others have chimed in on, but we can't just build in a ventilation channel to the outside which is what I need to avoid. Will look into the Full Spectrums and other things people have mentioned though, thanks. The glowforge has an add on that would fit your needs, but with that budget you could probably do better (and I'm not sure when new orders will actually be shipping at this point)
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Nov 6, 2015 16:48
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feedmegin posted:Hmm, aren't you the guy involved with the Oxford hackspace? I really need to try and make it out there sometime - I went along to an evening once like a year ago and then was all Yeah, that's right. Social nights on Thursdays, PM me for details if you want. We have a lot of software guys, probably more than we have hardware types.
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Nov 6, 2015 22:46
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We're also in the "holy poo poo this move is taking forever" boat. At least we're still on budget. It will have been close to a year from "this may be a possibility" to "there and done" by the time we finish. New place is looking awesome though as we have applied lots of lessons learned from 4 years at the old space. What does it cost/where do you buy new charcoal for an inline filter? We have 3 lasers, two of which will have permanent ventilation out the back (no need for filter), but we'd like to have one that can be moved about the space and run without a vent. For lasers, I recommend getting a larger bed rabbit if you can afford it. We have one of those and 2 20x12 FS lasers, and the rabbit gets most of the use. I'm not super impressed with the Full Spectrum ones, but one was $1000 used and the other was a donation, so we use them.
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Dec 7, 2015 17:14
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