Moving an egocentric data company from phone rigs to an owned stereo capture device

The problem

The client was collecting workplace video — warehouse picking, kitchen preparation, light assembly — using smartphones on head mounts. That works at scale but leaves no hardware synchronisation, rolling-shutter artefacts and a processing pipeline controlled by phone vendors. Their buyers increasingly asked for stereo, IMU and synchronised data.

What we did

• Discovery in Shenzhen and Dongguan: mapped stereo module makers and wearable ODMs, then ran a structured factory visit with Mandarin-led technical conversations and a written recommendation.
• Vendor specification with non-negotiable clauses: complete firmware source at delivery (drivers, build scripts, toolchain), documented data formats, synchronisation method and file conventions.
• Device architecture: a synchronised dual global-shutter stereo module with hardware-timestamped 6-axis IMU (up to 500 Hz) and per-unit factory calibration, controlled by a compute module on a custom carrier board, button-triggered recording to local storage, and an RTC for wall-clock alignment.
• Prototype oversight and a path to small-batch production with per-unit pricing.

Outcome

A device the client owns end to end — hardware design, firmware and data — at a unit cost compatible with field fleets, and a specification reusable with any qualified factory.