For my event project, I am largely interested in investigating things that happen underwater. I have two possible methods for capture-
- Depthkit underwater. I am constructing a polycarbonate underwater housing for the kinect v1 (1414), so that I may capture RGBD video underwater in the pool. I am especially curious to see how bubbles rising will appear in RGBD, so I will work on capturing a few different scenarios: person splashing into pool, creating many chaotic bubbles (medium distance shot); person holding their breath underwater, slowly releasing bubbles (close up shot); releasing bubbles from container (close up shot, no people only bubbles).
- The main uncertainty with this project is the great attenuation of near-IR wavelengths in water- the depth sensing abilities of the kinect will be quite compromised. I am hoping that the system will at least be usable within distances of ~1m.
- Sonar slitscan depth mapping. Using a sonar pod marketed to fisherman for “fishfinding,” I would like to create a sonar depthmap (bathymetric map) of local bodies of water. I have scouted out locations and will most likely use the Squaw Valley Park pond (known RC boating spot) for initial tests, and then take the system into non-manmade locations like North Park for richer mapping opportunities. The pod delivers a graph of the recorded sonar response over time, so I will systematically tow it using a RC boat in a grid pattern to obtain the bottom contours of the lake.
- My main concern with this project is the terrible online reviews of these pods. Depending on the model, they connect over bluetooth or a wifi hotspot, and many online reviewers state that the connection drops frequently or will not connect at all.