Anyone who’s anyone on the internet these days occasionally streams content online. Whether that’s the occasional livestream on YouTube or an every day video game session on Twitch, it’s definitely a trend that’s here to stay. If you want to take your streaming session on the go, though, you’ll need some specialized hardware like [Melissa] built into this livestreaming backpack.
[Melissa] isn’t actually much of a streamer but built this project just to see if it could be done. The backpack hosts a GoPro camera with a USB interface, mounted on one of the straps of the pack with some 3D printed parts, allowing it to act as a webcam. It is plugged into a Raspberry Pi which is set up inside the backpack, and includes a large heat sink to prevent it from overheating in its low-ventilation environment. There’s also a 4G modem included along with a USB battery pack to keep everything powered up.
The build doesn’t stop at compiling hardware inside a backpack, though. [Melissa] goes into detail on the project’s page about how to get all of the hardware to talk amongst themselves and where the livestream is setup as well. If you’d like a more permanently-located streaming setup with less expensive hardware, we have seen plenty of builds like this which will get the job done as well.
What am I missing…? Can’t you just livestream from a phone?
No, I looked at it and there is no reason to not simply use a smartphone.
I can think of a few: you can have your the camera shoulder mounted, helmet mounted (for sports or motorcycle), its less obtrusive or bulky. You could aggregate multiple 4G connections for redundancy, …
I could think of one or 2 reasons: you can mount the camera on your shoulder or a helmet for sports. Its less obtrusive ,…
Why do people on Hackaday, of all places, feel compelled to post these kinds of dismissive comments?
Even ignoring the obvious “because it was a fun project and the author learned something from it” there are many, many reasons you might prefer to livestream with a modular system like this instead of being stuck with the limitations of a smartphone: Camera choice. Cost (especially if you already have parts on hand). The ability to use more open source hardware and software. etc, etc, etc
Agreed I was just thinking I have all the equipment already! 🤙
Please consider the legal aspects before live streaming to publicly accessible video platforms, it might get you into deep troubles – tens of k€ deep.
Wait, you can’t freely record in public spaces paid for by your taxes and stream the content to publicly accessible platforms… under penalty of fines and/or litigation?
Europe sounds like a very free place!
No one should have the right to livestream me while I am out in public. You are free to livestream public property, you do not have a right to breach other peoples privacy. Some just dont like it, others might be trying to hide from crazy people under a new identity in a new city. The right for individual privacy is valued higher than cooks with cameras
This is the dumbest take of the century.
You need to give consent for commercial productions but there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in public spaces. If you want to do something in private, do it in a private space; clue’s in the name.
In a nutshell, you can record whatever you want in public spaces for private purposes if you respect other people’s rights, but for publishing these recordings you need the consent of all people and property owners involved, accidentally or on purpose. The relevant privacy and copyright laws aren’t exactly new (in Austria they date back to 1936), but with the adoption of the GDPR fines have been cranked up by more than an order of magnitude.
btw, most “public spaces” are private properties that are just open to the public.
Indeed most spaces are private spaces.
…and once you bring a tripod your are a broadcasting company (see comment below)
Wut?
In some EU countries you will need a media provider license, basically the same to run a cable television station (if you would broadcast over the air instead of cable or internet you of course will also need to acquire a spectrum license somehow).
Some people making public Spotify playlists got in trouble for this, it was equated to running a radio station. But I think the case was dropped.
I did something similar during covid. As I moved to another country and my relatives could not visit, I gave them a “virtual” city tour, going along sites telling about things etc.
I stripped a webcam to my backpack carrying a laptop streaming it over my mobile phone.
Pros over using the phone alone:
– longer battery time
– no need to hold the phone in an annoying angle all the time
– phone(screen) can be used independently
I had the idea of having a map of the city showing the current position (and direction of view) for an even better tour experience but as it was a one time thing (for now) i did not bother too much