Post by NewLand Camps on Oct 4, 2023 18:07:18 GMT
Hello! My name is Paul Newland and this message board is to track a citizen science Tricorder project I am working on developing! I know that I am not the only person working on this dream, but this hobby has become something of a life long goal for me to put power to complete citizen science back in the hands of citizen scientists!
The Goal: Develop a sensor package that can deliver data and information in a tricorder like way and can be used with an Android phone.
Tricorder Components:
Sensors (Hardware)
Software (App)
Analysis (Output)
Interface (Single Point Readout of Information)
This project seems really difficult, however creating a real-life tricorder is something worth aiming for. TriCorders are used in Star Trek to gather environmental data such as radiation levels, atmospheric composition, temperature, life signs (these are not really defined better than this), radio, and other signals. This thread will track progress on the project and leave a space for others to comment and participate. The most difficult part for me is how to take all of the data and turn it into information on a single user interface. This will likely be the last part of my project considering how coding has been an area of knowledge (AoK) or competency I haven't developed since high school Basic and Visual C+ classes. The TCR project will aim to take one step each month, with the first step being procurement of hardware and sensors. Each step of the way I am looking for collaboration. Please reach out to me by email at NewLandCamps@gmail.com and include "Tricorder" somewhere in the subject line for easy searching.
MONTH ONE
September, 2023:
Beginning this project, I started with my interface: The Samsung S20 phone. This phone itself comes equipped with its own microphone (audio), accelerometer, GPS sensor, camera, magnetic sensor, and ToF Lidar (Low resolution LIDAR for AR and 3D Mapping). I downloaded the MatLab software in order to get raw readouts from the phone sensors. The MatLab app sensor readout allows me to measure decibels (dB), acceleration in X, Y, and Z axes; magnetic field strength in Teslas in X, Y, and Z axes; orientation of the phone in azimuth, pitch, and roll; angular velocity in X, Y, and Z axes; and position including Latitude, Longitude, Speed, course, altitude, and horizontal accuracy. These six data points (information actually since it is already converted from raw data) give a wealth of information already. The other sensor, the ToF Lidar will be looked at later during another step in the project.
To take this project further and extend my sensor capacity, I purchased the TOPDON TC001 thermal imaging camera because of its easy to use app/software, and its ability to interface with my S20 Android Phone. This measures IR wavelengths in the 8uW to 14uW infrared wavelengths. This is not the full IR spectrum, yet it serves as a good start.
MONTH TWO
October, 2023
This next step is to acquire a molecular scanner. I selected the SCiO Sensor from Consumer Physics for this due to its relatively low price point (still enormously expensive), its software reviews and database access, and the fact that the sensor is making its way into phone technology already, meaning that this hardware component can eventually be internalized into our TriCorder. This hasn't arrived yet, but I will put in an update and additional information as I go. Thanks for reading!
The Goal: Develop a sensor package that can deliver data and information in a tricorder like way and can be used with an Android phone.
Tricorder Components:
Sensors (Hardware)
Software (App)
Analysis (Output)
Interface (Single Point Readout of Information)
This project seems really difficult, however creating a real-life tricorder is something worth aiming for. TriCorders are used in Star Trek to gather environmental data such as radiation levels, atmospheric composition, temperature, life signs (these are not really defined better than this), radio, and other signals. This thread will track progress on the project and leave a space for others to comment and participate. The most difficult part for me is how to take all of the data and turn it into information on a single user interface. This will likely be the last part of my project considering how coding has been an area of knowledge (AoK) or competency I haven't developed since high school Basic and Visual C+ classes. The TCR project will aim to take one step each month, with the first step being procurement of hardware and sensors. Each step of the way I am looking for collaboration. Please reach out to me by email at NewLandCamps@gmail.com and include "Tricorder" somewhere in the subject line for easy searching.
MONTH ONE
September, 2023:
Beginning this project, I started with my interface: The Samsung S20 phone. This phone itself comes equipped with its own microphone (audio), accelerometer, GPS sensor, camera, magnetic sensor, and ToF Lidar (Low resolution LIDAR for AR and 3D Mapping). I downloaded the MatLab software in order to get raw readouts from the phone sensors. The MatLab app sensor readout allows me to measure decibels (dB), acceleration in X, Y, and Z axes; magnetic field strength in Teslas in X, Y, and Z axes; orientation of the phone in azimuth, pitch, and roll; angular velocity in X, Y, and Z axes; and position including Latitude, Longitude, Speed, course, altitude, and horizontal accuracy. These six data points (information actually since it is already converted from raw data) give a wealth of information already. The other sensor, the ToF Lidar will be looked at later during another step in the project.
To take this project further and extend my sensor capacity, I purchased the TOPDON TC001 thermal imaging camera because of its easy to use app/software, and its ability to interface with my S20 Android Phone. This measures IR wavelengths in the 8uW to 14uW infrared wavelengths. This is not the full IR spectrum, yet it serves as a good start.
MONTH TWO
October, 2023
This next step is to acquire a molecular scanner. I selected the SCiO Sensor from Consumer Physics for this due to its relatively low price point (still enormously expensive), its software reviews and database access, and the fact that the sensor is making its way into phone technology already, meaning that this hardware component can eventually be internalized into our TriCorder. This hasn't arrived yet, but I will put in an update and additional information as I go. Thanks for reading!