360 Photo Booth Final Process

Design Problem and Solution:

Problem: People need to record or capture pictures with 360 degree perspective of an object without using several different cameras. Photographers seek interesting and unique perspectives to capture or record objects and there are very few ways for iPhones to capture 360 degree perspectives. 

Solution: The 360 Photo Booth is our solution that will hold one camera that can capture every angle of the object.

Detailed Solution: The iPhone will move across the X, Y, and Z axes to show many different perspectives and provide new views on common objects without wasting hours on unnecessary complicated machinery. 

Further Elaboration: 

Main Theme: 

While creating our 360 Photo Booth, Kade and I had to figure out how to design it in a way that would be effective but not to the point where it would be too challenging to program or build. We had to find a balance between challenging and not possible with the time constraints, which we were actively trying to find in the first few iterations. 

Mechanics: 

To make this 360 Photo Booth, Kade and I were faced with several different challenges. First, we had to figure out a way to make both the turntable - which holds the object - and the pulley - which holds the camera - to move simultaneously. We used thin wood to make the body of the pulley system, turntable, and miscellaneous pieces. The thick wood was used to make the base that holds all the parts up. In the turntable, each 4mm screw has five washers beneath it to ensure that the bottom of the screws won’t hit the metal turntable. The smaller screws attach to another turntable underneath. There are two stepper motors that control the movement of the turntable and the pulley belt. The Arduino, stepper motor, and wires for the turntable are hidden beneath two blocks of wood. The pulley is made of a toothed belt that attaches to a toothed wheel and axis which is mounted on a stepper motor. A larger screw lives at the top of the pulley system to hold another wheel and axis. 3D printed flanges are mounted on three to four wooden pieces which hold on to screws that are in the top and bottom of the pulley body. The steal dowels have two linear bearings with a 3D printed carrier that attaches to the toothed belt and holds a phone case for an iPhone 6. When the Arduino is connected to the computer, the stepper moves a specific amount of steps to pull the linear bearings up the dowel. Another set of wires connects to the turntable which will spin at the same time that the stepper motor moves the belt. 

Development:

The 360 Photo Booth started out as a simple machine with cardboard as support. It grew into thin wood with minimal problems. By the third iteration, the stepper motor was attached, not securely, with the wires and some of the program needed to continue. The next iteration took a step sideways with a new design and several problems with the scaling. Next, thick wood was able to be incorporated into the design with many problems with sizing and the holes needed for screws. The final prototype is working with steal dowels and minimal working issues. 

Challenges:

Throughout the process, Kade and I used mainly thin wood and gradually started to use screws, glue, and anything that isn’t tape. We faced several issues while creating this, many of which had to do with the scaling of the pulley support system. In many of the iterations, there was at least one measurement that was off by a few millimeters. It usually took two or more times of laser cutting until we got the measurements correct. We also faced several challenges with programming on Arduino. 

We had trouble with the wire hookup and had to use a solder iron several times to ensure that everything would be able to move correctly. When programming the mechanics, we had trouble with adjusting the speed of the stepper motor and programing it to move up and down when we want it to. An ongoing issue is the fact that the table is a bit jumpy and needs a bit of a push to get going. 

Iterations:

In our very first iteration, we met with Andrew to discuss possible design ideas and came up with a design that might work. We used a wooden dowel and cardboard with tape and string to try to prove our concept. This iteration worked fairly well and demonstrated how our future iterations had the possibility to look. We were able to get feedback quickly so we could start drafting our second iteration. Andrew asked questions about how the camera would be connected and we came up with a design made out of cardboard that was connected to the string. 

In our second iteration, we started designing in thin wood. We placed a linear bearing on the dowel and equipped it with a 3D printed contraption that would snuggly fit around the exterior and have a hole for wire or yarn to be strung through. Our feedback for our next iteration was to add the string and to start programming on Arduino. Kade started to work with Robin and David to figure out how to program the Arduino to make the string move up and down. I continued to work with Andrew to properly scale the body of the pulley system and to redesign it to take into consideration the size of the wood. 

The third iteration was when we officially made our proof of concept solid. We connected the stepper that Kade had programmed to one axis and bolted a screw on the other. Kade and I worked separately for the most part of this iteration and then worked together to assemble it. I was designing the main body with Andrew and Tschol while Kade worked on the programming with Robin and David. We were able to actually make the string move with the programing which was a big step from our previous iteration which did not have a string or stepper motor. 

In our fourth iteration, Tschol helped me redesign the body and pulley so it would be held up by 2x4 blocks of wood underneath the turntable. The measurements were wrong so we had trouble attaching the right side of the pulley body. This iteration felt like we had taken a step back from our third iteration because we were not able to add our stepper motor, dowel, or string. 

The fifth prototype felt like a bigger step forward because we were able to design and print the main base for the whole structure, the turntable, the pulley body, and attach the motors. Kade worked really hard to make sure the motors could work simultaneously. I worked mainly on building the structure so that we could have the internal holes sized correctly. The box that holds the pulley was cut with the wrong measurements so we had a minor setback in this process. 

The final sixth prototype has a turntable with five washers and eight screws holding it in place. It is fully equipped with steal dowels and 3D printed flanges that have three wooden spacers to add height to them. The 360 Photo Booth sits on 2x4 wooden blocks that discreetly hide the carefully placed stepper motor and wires that operate it. The Arduino is placed next to the stepper motor and wires. In the pulley support system, we used small pieces that would hold up the flanges since there were a lot of confusing measurements.