Kimi Ce Zhong

​Introduction:

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we created a prototype system that we call Dr.’s Eye. Dr.’s Eye contains two components: 1) an external camera embedded in a 3D-printed enclosure and 2) software running on a mobile phone that streams video between the patient and doctor. We created the final prototype through an iterative process, including brainstorming about potential form factors for the system, hand sketching some selected ideas, and iterating and creating 3D models around these ideas. We also used paper boxes to create some low-fidelity prototypes based on the models created. 

 

1) External Camera (4): Inspired by the small disc-shaped resonator of a stethoscope, we designed a rounded form to highlight the camera’s position. We adopted a hinge to connect the body and the camera component. Users can rotate the hinge to get the desired camera orientation. We also designed a form enclosure to enhance its flexibility. The base of Dr.’s Eye is fat so users can place it on the table surface. We intentionally added heavy-duty reusable tape on two sides of the form enclosure, so users can also stick Dr.’s Eye onto vertical surfaces, such as a wall. In addition, we designed the enclosure to be rounded to fit into a user’s palm. The finalized form enclosure was designed with a slight anthropomorphic look to create a sense of accompaniment and to signal that the video stream would be delivered to a professional party in an appropriate context. We produced one set of Dr.’s Eye by 3D-printing the final assembly. We used white-coloured PLA material to print the form enclosure as it offers minimalist aesthetics and endurance for the study.

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2) Mobile Phone User Interface: We used the web framework Flask and OpenCV to implement the video system. The design uses a mobile phone with a 6-inch screen to connect to the doctor who interacts with the system through a webpage. The user interface includes two camera views, a virtual cover button, a camera view control button, a slider, and a text box. Camera views come from Dr.’s Eye on the patient’s side and the camera on the doctor’s side. Patients can tap on the small camera view to switch which view they want to be shown larger at the top. When patients click the Hide My Camera View button, a message pops up at the bottom, saying “Doctor cannot see you now”, to highlight that the doctor cannot see the patient’s video stream until they click the Show My Camera View button. When patients click the Virtual Cover button, their video stream to the doctor is automatically disabled, with a pop-up message stating “Doctor cannot see you now. Please select the area you want to show to the doctor”. Users then can draw a circle by dragging (pressing down, moving, and releasing) on their camera view to select an area they want to show to the doctor. After the selection is made, they can click the Done with Selection button (Figure 5(c)). The doctor will then only see the selected body area. Supported by a vision-based tracking system (see below), the circle follows the body region when the patients move the camera, to ensure that the doctor will not see other areas. Patients can also use a slider to change the level of desired transparency of the unselected body area. The doctor’s webpage includes two camera views: a larger view of the patient, and a smaller one of the doctor.