{"id":2975,"date":"2023-05-04T16:43:40","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T16:43:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/machine-learning\/2023\/05\/04\/meet-the-maker-software-developer-builds-fully-functional-superhero-helmet\/"},"modified":"2023-05-04T16:43:40","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T16:43:40","slug":"meet-the-maker-software-developer-builds-fully-functional-superhero-helmet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/machine-learning\/2023\/05\/04\/meet-the-maker-software-developer-builds-fully-functional-superhero-helmet\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Maker: Software Developer Builds Fully Functional Superhero Helmet"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kris Kersey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kris Kersey is an embedded software developer with over 20 years of experience, an educational YouTuber with 30,000+ subscribers, and a lifelong lover of comics and cosplay.<\/p>\n

These interests and expertise came together in his first-ever project using the NVIDIA Jetson platform<\/a> for edge AI and robotics when he created a fully functional superhero helmet as portrayed in one of his favorite Marvel Comic films, Iron Man<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The 3D-printed helmet comes complete with computer-vision<\/a> capabilities in a heads-up display (HUD) that presents information wherever the user\u2019s looking, just like in the movie.<\/p>\n

The NVIDIA Jetson platform processes data from two cameras \u2014 one by each eye slot \u2014 that see what the helmet\u2019s wearer is seeing. The HUD then presents information including the current temperature, humidity, altitude and GPS location. It can also classify what\u2019s in the user\u2019s view based on deep neural networks for object detection.<\/p>\n

To let others join in on the fun, Kersey shared his entire workflow on his popular YouTube channel, Kersey Fabrications.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Superhero films and science fiction remind Kersey that cutting-edge technology requires collaboration across disciplines, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften, as with this project, artists and storytellers use their imaginations to come up with brilliant ideas \u2014 then, it\u2019s up to scientists and engineers to make them real,\u201d the developer said.<\/p>\n

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About the Maker<\/b><\/h2>\n

Kersey, who studied computer science at Southern Polytechnic State University \u2014 now part of Kennesaw State University \u2014 in Georgia, has broad experience working with embedded microprocessors and architectures. He specializes in the Linux operating system, which is compatible with the NVIDIA Jetson platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cWriting software on the Jetson platform didn\u2019t require that I learn a new programming language or operating system, which made it very easy for me,\u201d the maker said.<\/p>\n

By day, he\u2019s a software engineer at an Atlanta-based startup. By night, he\u2019s working on projects in his personal makerspace.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never used my garage for cars,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Instead, it\u2019s full of tools, boards and other equipment that enable his marvelous projects.<\/p>\n

Kersey emphasized that what\u2019s important to him most of all, however, is his family, with whom he likes to play board games, watch movies and go on hikes.<\/p>\n

His Inspiration<\/b><\/h2>\n

Kersey\u2019s fascination with technology stemmed from his childhood. His mother was a teacher focused on computer-aided drafting and mechanical design.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a very early age, I could tinker with computers that she had access to, which always fascinated me,\u201d he said. \u201cMy cousin also once gave me an old 8-bit computer, but there wasn\u2019t much I could do with it, so I remember pulling out the manual and reading the whole thing \u2014 that taught me basic programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

More recently, Kersey got into 3D printing while helping his son with a project for Science Olympiad.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom that moment on, I got really into 3D printing as a hobby \u2014 my son never really took to it a whole lot,\u201d he mused.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Kersey created his YouTube channel with a focus on 3D printing as a way to delve deeper into the maker community while teaching others what he\u2019s learned along the way.<\/p>\n

A Jetson-Powered Superhero Project<\/b><\/h2>\n

Kersey\u2019s 3D-printed, fully functional, wireless Iron Man helmet \u2014 which he even sanded and painted himself \u2014 could be straight out of the iconic films.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The prototype used the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX<\/a> developer kit as the core powering its HUD.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this whole experience to feel as awesome as Iron Man\u2019s tech, it has to be real time, low latency, high resolution and high frame rate,\u201d Kersey said. \u201cIt also needs to display a lot of information on screen, which requires a powerful graphics processor \u2014 that\u2019s why I chose the Jetson platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jetson developer kits are equipped with a powerful, onboard NVIDIA GPU and AI capabilities to supercharge embedded applications.<\/p>\n

Kersey also tapped the NVIDIA TensorRT<\/a> software development kit to enable high-performance deep-learning inference with low latency and high throughput for the project.<\/p>\n

For the next generation of the helmet\u2019s HUD \u2014 a project that\u2019s \u201cnot finished till it\u2019s finished,\u201d according to the maker \u2014 Kersey used the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano<\/a> developer kit. Launched in September, the kit has set a new standard for creating entry-level AI-powered robots, intelligent cameras and more.<\/p>\n

It only took Kersey two hours to get from opening the Orin Nano box to having the software deployed and running, he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

He\u2019s now looking to upgrade the project with the Jetson Orin NX 16GB system-on-module, as well as build a full suit beyond the headgear, starting with prototype aluminum repulsors.<\/p>\n

And the developer will soon make the project\u2019s code open source, so others can easily turn themselves into superheroes, too.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Kersey plans to wear the upgraded superhero gear at Dragon Con<\/a> \u2014 the world\u2019s largest multimedia, popular culture convention \u2014 taking place in August. Plus, at this month\u2019s MomoCon<\/a> in Atlanta, he\u2019ll present on a panel titled Making It Real: High Tech in Cosplay<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Asked if Iron Man is his favorite superhero, Kersey said with a smile: \u201cHe is right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out <\/i>Kersey Fabrications on YouTube<\/i><\/a> and learn more about the <\/i>NVIDIA Jetson platform<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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