Need Advice on a Wearable Body camera

[Tris]

I have a startup idea, "Body cameras for citizens". It's to reduce the incidents of police brutality and capture people who may commit crime against you easier. If you can see a face, the culprit would be easier to catch. So it's like a wearable security camera. My issues are

1. I know nothing about creating cameras.
2. I do not know any technical person to create a camera.
3. Another company is using the same angle I was planning to use but they haven't launched as yet.
4. I don't work for a big company that I can do intrapreneurship to get the idea to fruition.

I really believe in this idea. It's been sitting on my brain for months and I need to start. I think that life is pushing me to start also because every now and again, It reminds me how short life is and how easily it is to lose our health. I don't want to just be an idea girl.

 

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[Ravens_Shadow]

Body Camera-Body Camera Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters on Alibaba.comCCTV Camera

Searching Alibaba is a good place to start. I can't comment much on importing or getting goods into the US except using a throwaway email since you'll get spammed for life reaching out to factories. Might be better off finding a US manufacturer for body cameras due to the latest Tariffs. Body cameras may already be affected by them or might be affected by them in the future.

Plenty of importing threads on here. Sourcing the camera is one of the easier steps, getting it into the publics hands and having them pay for it is the hard part.

Good luck!

 

[sparechange]

this sounds like a horrible idea tbh

 

[Ravens_Shadow]

Body Cameras For Police Officers; What About For Ordinary Citizens?

A "competitor" who sells both law enforcement cameras and cameras for "citizens".
VENTURE

A product currently out on the market as well on a popular gadget/computer website:
Pyle PPBCM9 Compact 1080p HD Infrared Body Camera - Newegg.com

So from spending 3-4 minutes on google, I found these few things. It's going to be more about building a brand or some sort of social revolution. The product is already made and out there. It's building the awareness and seeing if the market actually wants such a thing.

And here's a successful Kickstarter for a citizen-centric body camera:
Shonin Streamcam Wearable Camera

 

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[Tris]

Body Cameras For Police Officers; What About For Ordinary Citizens?

A "competitor" who sells both law enforcement cameras and cameras for "citizens".
VENTURE

A product currently out on the market as well on a popular gadget/computer website:
Pyle PPBCM9 Compact 1080p HD Infrared Body Camera - Newegg.com

So from spending 3-4 minutes on google, I found these few things. It's going to be more about building a brand or some sort of social revolution. The product is already made and out there. It's building the awareness and seeing if the market actually wants such a thing.

And here's a successful Kickstarter for a citizen-centric body camera:
Shonin Streamcam Wearable Camera

Hi. Thanks for responding. Yes I know of these competitors. I know Brand building will be the most important part. I think I was thinking too deep into the technical side of it. So I definitely will start to work on the branding part. Thanks!

 

[Tris]

this sounds like a horrible idea tbh

Thanks for your opinion. It's not for everyone. As MJ says "Not everyone will like your product/idea". Thanks.

 

[Thoelt53]

Not a bad idea to protect yourself from lawsuits and such.

As for crime: police/help arrive after the fact. Cameras don't protect people from crime. There is an interesting study out there that shows that cameras merely push crime just outside their field of view. Mind you these were fixed camera on lampposts and such. I can find and link the study if you're interested.

Nevertheless, you could design a system with a harness and such, and include a GoPro or similar camera. No need to design your own camera.

 

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[Roli]

this sounds like a horrible idea tbh

That's a helpful comment, that you couldn't possibly have kept to yourself...

I have a startup idea, "Body cameras for citizens". It's to reduce the incidents of police brutality and capture people who may commit crime against you easier. If you can see a face, the culprit would be easier to catch. So it's like a wearable security camera. My issues are

1. I know nothing about creating cameras.
2. I do not know any technical person to create a camera.
3. Another company is using the same angle I was planning to use but they haven't launched as yet.
4. I don't work for a big company that I can do intrapreneurship to get the idea to fruition.

I really believe in this idea. It's been sitting on my brain for months and I need to start. I think that life is pushing me to start also because every now and again, It reminds me how short life is and how easily it is to lose our health. I don't want to just be an idea girl.

Have you got your idea out of your head and onto paper/computer screen yet?

If not that's a good place to start, sketch out the idea start it off by writing something along the lines of:

I want to design and sell wearable cameras for citizens, I believe my main market would be X. Although this could branch off into Y...

Then talk about price points, competitors, pros, cons, marketing using or adapting existing tech, design and so on.

Then think about how much money it would take to make this happen. A lot of it will be guess work, however just going through this process will help you a lot.

Even if it's not this idea that does it, it will put you in the right frame of mind to go and make something work.

If you do find it's a case of importing and adapting existing tech, take a look at @Walter Hay's profile, he has a wealth of free information on here that will help you make some importing decisions and generally find out about the highs and lows of going into that area.

Most of all, if you haven't already, start saving up as much as you can because you'll need capital for this, or whatever venture you end up in.

Good luck, keep on it!

 

[Coalission]

I remember a company called Looxcie did this years ago, but they eventually went out of business. Not sure what happened, but I think it's a great idea if done correctly.

Snapchat also has Spectacles.
Spectacles by Snap Inc. • Your Hands-Free Camera

I think "lifelogging" will eventually be a thing, and it reminds me of that episode of Black Mirror where they use contact lenses that basically record at all times. Someone or some company will eventually get this right, so it might as well be you. I'll be a customer if it happens. Good luck.

 

[Late Bloomer]

I have a startup idea... So it's like a wearable security camera.

I don't have an opinion about the desirability of your idea. But I do have an idea about finding the equipment: get a copy of someone else's thorough comparison.

As you know, more locations are now requiring police to have body cameras. There was probably some kind of technical evaluation that was done with different systems, before some company got the contract to provide the cameras and recorders.

You could simply call the public info office for either the cops or for whoever was in charge of the law or regulation, say you're a civilian who's interested in learning more about the technology, and ask how to get a copy of the report.

Also, check with the armed services about whether there are some unclassified reports available to public about wearable cameras. A lot of strategy and technical documents from the military are available for free download by anyone.

The customers you want to serve will probably feel that they are part of a movement of citizen journalism. So maybe instead of selling the cameras, you could recommend the cameras and provide a hosted recording service to capture the data. If the subscriber doesn't tell you within a week that something notable happened on a particular day, you erase their recordings. If they say something happened, you archive that recording, and maybe make it available in the forum for subscribers to discuss how they want to respond (protest, lawsuit, etc.). Both the social justice outcomes and the money for you, might be in the community rather than the gear.

 

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