Team Progress
This week our team made lots of progress on flushing out all the details of our hardware and communication protocol between the CapSure module and mobile app.
Risk Mitigation
Right now the most significant risk is probably the delivery time of the ESP32-S3 which is the most essential piece of hardware we need to begin testing and development. To mitigate this, we will read the documentation and begin writing preliminary firmware so that we instantly have code ready to program once it arrives. Another risk to figure out is the transfer of the footage from the SD card to the phone, as write delays or Wi-Fi transfers could cause dropped frames or gaps in the rolling buffer, which would compromise the footage that we intend to preserve. To manage this, we updated testing requirements to test simultaneous saving and downloading; if these tests fail, we will adjust buffer allocation and SD write batching.
Changes
We took the feedback from the professors and agreed to update our use-case and matching design requirement for the battery life of our system. CapSure will now aim to support over 5 hours of continuous use to better suit the wide range of use-cases our intended audiences will have. We also updated our system such that Wi-Fi is a separate switch from the button to preserve the last 60 seconds; this allows the user to use CapSure in situations where they do not have their phone.
Additionally, we updated our Gantt Chart for our Design Presentation to include Division of Labor as well as important deadlines.
Weekly Prompt
Part A) CapSure addresses public health, safety, and welfare by allowing users to preserve a preceding minute of what just occurred in front of them without need to anticipate an event or immediately take out their phone. While some use-case scenarios are more fun (ex: capturing a missed moment at a sports game), CapSure also promotes welfare by accommodating cases where a person may be alone and want to record their surroundings for safety. Since CapSure is hands-free and records without needing a human trigger, this can reduce the distraction of actively filming and help users document unexpected incidents. To support physical well-being, our design targets a module weighing less than 100g and contact-surfaces below 43°C, to liit the added weight and heat exposure for the user during wear. Retrospective recording can also support psychological well-being by giving users a way to revisit important events. To address the safety of bystanders and avoid CapSure being used as a hidden camera, a visible recording indicator on an LED will be on whenever the camera is on. The user is also able to delete footage on the app easily after it is saved, in the case that a bystander requests so. Wi-Fi only activates when the user presses a separate button, and saved clips remain protected until the phone verifies receipt. By keeping recording and retrieval local rather than requiring internet access or a cloud subscription, CapSure supports users’ access to personal records while limiting ongoing costs and dependence on external services.
Part B) CapSure is designed to meet the need for capturing unexpected moments after they occur while also considering the privacy concerns created by wearable cameras. A user may want a record of an incident, conversation, or event, but the people around them may not expect or feel comfortable being recorded. Attitudes toward recording in public can also vary between communities and social settings. To make recording more visible, CapSure includes an LED that remains on whenever the camera is actively capturing, giving nearby people a clear indication that the device is in use.
CapSure also limits how much footage is retained. The system continuously maintains only the most recent 60 seconds of footage, and a clip is permanently saved only when the wearer presses the physical trigger. This avoids creating an all-day archive of everyone the wearer encounters. Saved clips are stored locally rather than automatically uploaded to a cloud account, and transferring a clip requires the user to deliberately enable Wi-Fi and initiate the transfer. These design choices allow CapSure to provide retrospective recording while reducing unnecessary collection and sharing of footage involving bystanders.
Part C) Market alternatives like action cameras ($500+), smart camera glasses ($300+), and standard dashcams ($300+) carry high financial barriers for everyday use. CapSure addresses these economic factors by streamlining the product life cycle across production, distribution, and consumption. In production, using low-cost, modular commodity hardware like an ESP32-S3, 3D-printed mounts and simple switches keeps the initial manufacturing bill of materials under $50 while allowing flexible design iterations to easily swap components such as larger SD cards or better microphones to match evolving consumer demands. For distribution, CapSure fits directly into the user’s existing tech ecosystem by mounting on hats they already own and offloading clips directly to the smartphone they already carry, eliminating the need for redundant displays or extra peripherals. Finally, for consumption, CapSure operates on a buy-once, zero-subscription model since no cloud storage is necessary, delivering a low-cost and accessible way to capture and store personal moments.
Part A was written by Ankita, Part B was written by Clarence, and Part C was written by Jayden.
