Learn How Zack Freedman Built His Signature Google Glass-Style Wearable Computer
In his latest video, Freedman explains how he created the Google Glass-esque wearable computer you see in all of his videos.
Most YouTubers try to present themselves casually with candid, conversational videos. But the truth is that making a video in that manner is very difficult — most people will just stumble over their words and insert all kinds of “umms” and “uhhhhs” into their speech. Even if it isn’t immediately apparent, many YouTubers choose to use teleprompters in order to ensure that they speak well and don’t have to do a lot of editing. Zack Freedman followed that approach, but with a really obvious teleprompter attached to his face. In his latest video, Freedman explains how he built the Google Glass-Style wearable computer you see in all of his videos.
If you followed tech news back in 2013, then you definitely remember Google Glass. It was a wearable computer in the form of a pair of eyeglasses that provided a heads-up display (HUD) and augmented reality capabilities. Google Glass was a massive flop, mostly due to privacy concerns, a large price tag, and the fact that it looked dorky as all heck. But many of us who love technology and gadgets still found the general idea to be compelling. Freedman was one such person, and he went through many iterations of DIY wearable computers. He used his most successful version, dubbed Optigon, to play an early augmented reality game called Ingress. Over time, the Optigon became part of Freedman’s signature “look,” and that carried over to YouTube.
The version of Optigon that Freedman wears in his YouTube videos is based on the optics from an Epson Moverio headset. That headset had really great optics, but the computer didn’t have enough grunt to run much of anything. Freedman’s solution was to scavenge the optics from the Epson Moverio, including the LCD projector and driver, and connect them to a Raspberry Pi single-board computer. The Raspberry Pi obviously can’t fit on the headset and is housed within an enclosure worn on Freedman’s belt instead. The Moverio optics were housed within in a 3D-printed case that is mounted to the frame from a cheap pair of eyeglasses. In honor of reaching 2,500 subscribers on his YouTube channel, Freedman redesigned the 3D-printed enclosure using Autodesk Fusion 360. The new design looks great and the headset is perfect for running the teleprompter software that helps Freedman make polished videos.