Flass - My Google Glass.

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Flass is designed from the ground up to be a 'clone' of Google Glass, eventually even to hopefully copy the simple UI completely. The name is a play on the words fake and glass, creating Flass.

It is powered by a Samsung Galaxy S i9000 which has TV-out functionality, a Bluetooth keyboard and Bluetooth earpiece. The final design hopes to use a Raspberry Pi instead so that screen power from the Galaxy S isn't an issue.​

Demonstrating Flass.

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Flass 1.0​

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Flass 2.0​

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Flass 3.0​

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Flass 4.0​

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Fucking awesome idea.

If you need any interface designs, or anything regarding digital art I'd be happy to help out. Shoot me a pm and I'll hit you up for some free designs to get the idea up and running

 

Cheers man, at this stage it's pretty much going to be operated by a Bluetooth keyboard as a normal PC, so the UI is going to be pretty much a normal desktop.

I have the Vuzix equivilent of the Glass ordered (http://www.vuzix.com/consumer/products_m100.html) so this was pretty much an experiment until I get something of the real deal (yeah I'll get a Glass somehow!)

I'll let you know if I do eventually go down the route of making my own UI and such.

 

Could get a sparkfun speech recognition module, and interface that. Would give you a fixed set of commands.

 

I was tempted to go down that route, at this stage my primary external input is photos. If I want it to be a connected device it needs the ability to take a photo or video and upload to wherever, this is the hardest part in my mind.

Finding a camera that is small enough to mount to the side of my head is the biggest thing, along with being a high enough resolution. I'm also looking into the power requirements of this, I will have to wear something on a belt to enable this whole setup to work.

 

I've found that with the use of jailbreaking on an iPhone 4 + an AV Connection Kit that I'm able to mirror out the display. Weirded my eyes out but I'm hopeful that using only one of the display yields better results in terms of eye strain.

Below I've done a very rough concept of how I can mount it infront of my eye. My biggest concern is my glasses and how they will react with the display and then the optic crystal that makes the image larger.



Option 'b' is my ideal positioning, like Glass it will allow the image to appear in my vision but not completely overpower it. I have considered going the full Glass route with the small optic crystal but I have no idea where I would obtain something like that.

Option 'a' is my backup plan if it overpowers my vision too much or Option 'b' causes too much strain on my eyes that I need it out of my field of view unless required.

Another thing I'm looking into is what OS to run with on the Raspberry Pi or if the iPhone will suffice for the moment. I considered Android purely because it's lightweight, great for this kind of thing and customisable. The problem with that is there is yet to be a proper stable Android port yet, I will be testing the one I found to see if it is stable 'enough' for everyday usage.

Power requirements are the big problem right now. The MyVu's only last about 4 hours max, I want this thing to last all day. My plan was to have a mobile phone battery pack in a small pouch with the Raspberry Pi attached to a belt, with the cables running down my back. I have a massive 22,000Mah battery I purchased in the US, it's rather large but it's long and thin enough to fit in a wide pouch on my waist. Ultimately until I find a smaller solution this will do for testing.

I did read that the Raspberry Pi was getting a long awaited camera so I'm consdering holding off until I can get my hands on one. The main problem is finding a long cable solution, then hoping that the Android-port allows it's usage.

I will be doing some mockup drawings of what I'm hoping to achieve with the project. Any suggestions or anything you know that can help is always appreciated.

 

Meet Flass.






Unfortunately I broke one of the display clips and it's buggered. Got so far and then just tweaking the height ruined it, kinda sucks. I wish I could find a pair of MyVu Crystal's to properly do it but unfortunately the company went bust and they are nowhere to be seen.

This took 4 hours of work, so sure you can make one in a day. Problem is your likely to break it in 5 seconds just by adjusting it.

 

Now that's just cool.

 

I have officially started scower the internet for MyVu Crystal's up for sale, they are the perfect one for this kind of thing. Unfortunately the chances of find them are next to impossible these days, if anyone has seen them let me know ASAP so I can grab them.

I will be attempting to repair the current ones tonight and working on a way to make the whole thing more slimline and adjustable without breaking.

 

There were a pair up on amazons marketplace for $199 i think. Not sure about postage costs though or if they even will ship to AUS but worth contacting them.

 

I saw them, wrong model. Those ones need both displays to be plugged in to operate, the ones I ultimately want will run separately and have a higher resolution display as well. Ones I'm after are MyVu Crystal 701's I believe, last ones they made before going bust.

 

Managed to track down a pair from the US, just waiting to hear if they really do have stock. Fingers crossed you should see a Raspberry Pi version of Project Flass in the coming weeks!

One that won't break so damn easily too!

 

I have managed to finally purchase the MyVu Crystal 701's from the UK, cost me $150 and I will be more careful with this one as it's my last chance to create a working device.

My main thing to do while I wait is work out which OS to run on the Raspberry Pi to make this all functional. I'm also aiming to find a really small webcam that I can take apart and basically affix to the side of the finished Flass and run down a USB cable to plug into the RaspPi.

You should start to see the makings in the coming week of V2!

 

This is an awesome idea... I'd love a pair of Glass'... of course, you know what the first thing you have to watch on them is, right?....

 

I think that's the ultimate usage for it hahaha.

 

Minesweeper?

 

Nah, more like Battleship... lots of torpedo sinking etc.

 

My MyVu Crystal 701's have turned up and I will be ripping them apart and going for attempt number two.

My plan for this time is to make design up a proper casing and clip then possibly get it 3D printed. The way the clipping will work is though an adjuster that will allow you to slide it off glasses and onto say another pair easily and then simply pull to adjust, almost like a cable tie.

I'll put some photos up tonight when I manage to get everything disassembled and working on my eyeball! I'm going with a Nokia N9 for this attempt instead of an iPhone just purely on the fact the N9 has a great interface for sitting above an eye.

 

Subbed for awesome.

 

Everyone, meet Flass 2.0

Currently jerry-rigged but it works! Next step is to make a proper casing and see how it goes out in public! Going out into the town in 30 minutes so we shall see what people say!