Discussion about GoPro Enclosure for the DJI Osmo Mobile Handheld Stabilizer

Stabilized video shots are one of the big factors that sets apart amateur video productions from professional ones. By removing the shake from your videos you can instantly increase the quality of your clips. DJI manufactures a handheld stabilizer for mobile phones which eliminates the shake produced from bad pulse or trembling by compensating with microscopic movements in the opposite direction. For instance, if I slightly tilt my wrist clockwise, the stabilizer will rotate the same amount counter-clockwise to cancel the rotation.

[Osmo photo]

One of the limitations of this device is that it only works with mobile phones, whereas I want to use it occasionally with my GoPro (Hero 4 Silver) as well. The grip of the stabilizer can only hold something that has the shape of a phone, i.e., something rectangular and thin. Moreover, there is a sensor that detects if the object is actually long enough. If this sensor is not covered then the sensor does not work. Of course, the GoPro is neither thin enough to be gripped nor long enough to cover the sensor. For this reason, I set out to print this enclosure that holds the GoPro and has the right dimensions to fit the stabilizer.

The design was downloaded from thingiverse and printed in Aalto FabLabs. I don’t know the exact density settings that we used. Here is the result:

[Printed piece]

This GoPro fits nicely, although maybe one millimeter too lose. The enclosure is gripped properly by the stabilizer, but it would be advisable to calculate the density so that the center of mass matches the geometric center. At the moment, the stabilizer is heavier on the camera size and so it tilts. To prevent sideways tilt, I shift it slightly. However, the camera still tilts forward, which I suspect might force and damage the motor in the long-run.

[Tilted stabilizer]
[Balanced stabilizer]

And here is a small comparison of non-stabilized and stabilized footage.

[Gif non-stabilized] [ Gif stabilized]

One caveat of doing this is that the GoPro has to face backwards and you have to hold the stabilizer in the opposite direction that you normally would. Otherwise your shot would capture the stabilizer itself, due to the wide-angle lens on the GoPro.

This is the general thread for discussing the project; the thread is also visible on its page at https://www.fablabs.io/projects/gopro-enclosure-for-the-dji-osmo-mobile-handheld-stabilizer