Miniature stabilized head for GoPro and smartphones

[Sudija]

Hi all,
I am a noob on this forum, but no less a Phantom aficionado
I wanted to share with you my creation for professional filmmakers that can be mounted on multirotors and can stabilize a few different action cameras, but also smartphones. Please take a look at the video on my Kickstrater page and let me know your thoughts.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wiggly/stabilized-head-for-iphone-gopro-and-compact-camer

Thank you!

 

[Sudija]

Thank you justsomeguy!
Good points.
If you have an extra channel you can control the pitch on Wiggly too.
Also, I take the battery out and power it from the phantom to make it lighter.

Cheers,

 

[OI Photography]

Very nice...looks like you created the portable gimbal that the gopro has needed for a long time. I was already looking at the common "stick an existing gimbal on some tubing" solutions, but this will probably be a game-changer for that segment.

 

[Sudija]

I am glad you like it OI Photography,
Hopefully, I will get this product funded on Kickstrater and be able to keep working on product extensions in a few months.
I would like to make a really bad-*** gimbal for multirotors.

Cheers,

 

[Sudija]

I remember StabiloGo. Your support is much appreciated Tyrohne!

 

[Gizmo3000]

Also, I take the battery out and power it from the phantom to make it lighter.

So when you do that, how much does it end up weighing?

imagine you'd want to design a vibration isolation mount for it as well to reduce jello.

 

[jumanoc]

@Sudija:

Here you have some competitor:

http://mastortech.com

 

[Sudija]

I'll have to measure precisely and get back to you with exact weight.
It's not much heavier than your typical gimbal, but more reliable only because I'm using lot stronger motors for x and y axes.

You're right about the vibration, I designed a custom mount with 6 dampening rubbers, however, I am still working on positioning the camera closer to the center. Small UAVs like Phantom are very sensitive to being front heavy, but the small space between standard DJI landing gear doesn't provide leave many options.

Check out these videos I made of Wiggly on Phantom:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_M1PXi9ufl0b3XkCAWmI8Q

 

[Miika]

The thing that "I hate" when scouting for a good gimbal, is the fact that finding out the weight is like wandering in the forest. You have all kinds of data available, but the weight of the gimbal is nowhere to be seen. For an example Tarot Gimbal weights less than 200g (price approx. 150-190$), which is really good. Then there are a dozen manufacturers with their "low weight" gimbals weighting 400grams. And the weights do matter! I'm guessing Wiggly will have some weight issues if you compare it to Tarot or Zenmuse.

 

[Sudija]

@Sudija:

Here you have some competitor:

http://mastortech.com

Yea, I am aware of those guys. They have just been to New York photo expo few weeks ago where they unveiled this product.
The benefits of Wiggly that I can see are the following:

1) It's one device that accepts both smartphones and cameras - theirs are two different products on that photo.

2) Wiggly is more than a gimbal on a stick - not to belittle their product, but Wiggly is a videographers tool that is more versatile in terms of ways it can be used and also comes with a low/high mode handle that was made with more professional approach in mind.

http://kck.st/1gDOjJf

 

[Sudija]

The thing that "I hate" when scouting for a good gimbal, is the fact that finding out the weight is like wandering in the forest. You have all kinds of data available, but the weight of the gimbal is nowhere to be seen. For an example Tarot Gimbal weights less than 200g (price approx. 150-190$), which is really good. Then there are a dozen manufacturers with their "low weight" gimbals weighting 400grams. And the weights do matter! I'm guessing Wiggly will have some weight issues if you compare it to Tarot or Zenmuse.

LOL Sorry Miika, I will get a scale immediately and post the weight of Wiggly by end of day.

Cheers,

 

[tomtnt]

those guys are claiming prices in the $199-$249 range for iphone and gopro - much cheaper than wiggly...

and then you also have easygimbal - 3 axis!

it's going to be a tough sell...

nice design though

 

[Miika]

The design of the Wiggly is great! And I really like the extension. And I believe it's useful with a quad/hexa copter or what ever you have... but I believe it weights too much for Phantom (by the looks of it). And what makes it a crippled product is that it is missing the 3rd axis. I can see why small gimbals have only two axises, but cant understand why the third is missing from gimbals that are focused on handheld videography. The difference in the footage shot between handheld 2-axis and 3-axis is HUGE.

 

[mediaguru]

@Sudija:

Here you have some competitor:

http://mastortech.com

Can't find a price or link to buy anything there...

 

[Sudija]

Absolutely agree on the 3rd axis importance. I am looking into building an independent attachment for wiggly that will have the 3rd axis motor and be powered and get signal from Wiggly upon attachment. (just like top joystick does).This way it would make sense as a drone 2-axis gimbal and handheld 3-axis gimbal by just adding a part.

Anyways to get to the point below are the weights of Wiggly with and without the battery because you can use it either way on a drone. For smaller ones like Phantom I take the battery out and power it from the auxiliary power. WIggly is not meant to directly compete with super-light gimbals and it's motors are much larger and stronger than on a standard Phantom gimbal. It is meant to be universal and carry larger cameras.

1) Wiggly with battery - 11.1oz or 315gr
2) Wiggly w/o battery - 8.5oz or 240gr

Here are individual parts weights:

Motors - 2.1oz or 60gr (each)
Battery - 2.6oz or 74gr

As far as price is concerned, I am looking to bring it down with quantity.

 

[Miika]

Absolutely agree on the 3rd axis importance. I am looking into building an independent attachment for wiggly that will have the 3rd axis motor and be powered and get signal from Wiggly upon attachment. (just like top joystick does).This way it would make sense as a drone 2-axis gimbal and handheld 3-axis gimbal by just adding a part.

Anyways to get to the point below are the weights of Wiggly with and without the battery because you can use it either way on a drone. For smaller ones like Phantom I take the battery out and power it from the auxiliary power. WIggly is not meant to directly compete with super-light gimbals and it's motors are much larger and stronger than on a standard Phantom gimbal. It is meant to be universal and carry larger cameras.

1) Wiggly with battery - 11.1oz or 315gr
2) Wiggly w/o battery - 8.5oz or 240gr

Here are individual parts weights:

Motors - 2.1oz or 60gr (each)
Battery - 2.6oz or 74gr

As far as price is concerned, I am looking to bring it down with quantity.

240 aint too bad, its heavier than most of the so called light weight gimbals, but way below the ones that go up to 400g. I've seen one 3-axis handheld gopro gimbal (on kickstarter?) but it didnt have the "joystick". This tells me that most of the designers behind these gimbals are focusing on certain aspects of creating a good gimbal, but not all of them. For an example being able to use Wiggly with gopro & other small cameras / smartphones is a good thing. Having the ability to tilt the camera with the joystick is a good thing. Having a 3-axis gimbal instead of 2-axis isnt only good, its superb... but who forgot the joystick.

Sudija you should create a kickstarter campaign for a 3-axis DSLR rig/gimbal configuration. Get the price below 2000$ and your done. For an example MÖVI has a price tag of 10-15k and it sells. People are making and selling DIY DSLR gimbals and they sell well too. I'm hoping someone would make a 2k DSLR gimbal. Maybe after Wiggly we get Waggly?

 

[Sudija]

Lol I didn't have the name for it yet, but that was my intention in terms of future products ))

 

[Sudija]

Amazing news! Wiggly is now half the price - $250

I am incredibly excited to announce that due to a great deal we made with new suppliers, plastic manufacturer and a surprise investment outside of Kickstarter we will be able to offer Wiggly to you at HALF THE ORIGINAL COST! This means that folks on Kickstarter would get a basic Wiggly for only $250 from now on. I believe this is the much needed boost to get this project successfully funded.

You can read more about it here - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...r-iphone-gopro-and-compact-camer/posts/667471

Thank you all for your interest!