LINK TO CODE SKETCH:
CraftingTable.com/downloads (Look under Month 5)
Lesson 2: Intro to XIAO ESP32 S3 Sense + Smart Glasses Setup
Today, you're turning your kit into something truly exciting: AI-ready smart glasses powered by the XIAO ESP32 S3 Sense. This tiny but powerful board will become the heart of your wearable spy cam—capable of capturing visual data and, later, even running AI-based detection.
🎯 What You’ll Learn Today:
By the end of this lesson, you’ll:
- Understand the capabilities of the XIAO ESP32 S3 Sense
- Attach it to a pair of glasses to act as a lightweight wearable camera
- Upload code that lets the device automatically capture photos every 30 seconds
🧰 What You’ll Need:
From your kit:
- 1x XIAO ESP32 S3 Sense (includes camera + mic)
You’ll also need:
- 1x mounting bracket or adhesive strip
- 1x basic pair of glasses
- USB-C cable and a USB battery pack (or connect it to your computer)
- Micro SD card, formatted FAT32 (for photo storage)
🔍 About the XIAO ESP32 S3 Sense:
This board is a compact, AI-ready microcontroller that includes:
- A dual-core ESP32-S3 chip with onboard camera and microphone
- Support for Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
- Enough power to run lightweight AI vision models later this month
🛠️ Step-by-Step Instructions:
Step 1 – Attach to Glasses
Secure the board onto the glasses using:
- Adhesive, bracket, or tape
- Make sure the camera lens faces forward and isn’t blocked
📌 Tip: The lighter the setup, the more comfortable it’ll be for walking around!
Step 2 – Connect Power
- Use a USB battery pack for wearable power
- Or temporarily power it via your computer’s USB port
- You should see the onboard LED light up when powered
📸 Hands-On Activity: Auto-Capture Spy Cam
- Download the prewritten sketch from craftingtable.com/downloads
- Load it onto your board using the Arduino IDE
- The sketch will automatically take a photo every 30 seconds and save it to the SD card (or internal memory)
🖥️ The video includes a full demo of the upload process and how to view the captured photos using the serial monitor.
🧪 Troubleshooting Tips:
- No photos saved? Double-check these:
- Is your SD card formatted as FAT32?
- Did the code upload successfully?
- Is the camera lens blocked, loose, or disconnected?
📚 Homework Assignment:
- Wear your glasses around for at least 30 minutes
- Let the camera passively capture photos of your environment
- Review the saved images
- Pick your favorite or funniest photo and post it in the #spy-cam-diary Discord channel!
✅ By the End of This Lesson, You’ll Have:
- Assembled and powered on your wearable smart glasses
- Programmed your ESP32 to capture photos automatically
- Started experimenting with passive data collection using embedded hardware
Next up, in Lesson 3, we’ll start adding AI intelligence to your system—so it doesn’t just see, it can start to understand.
Additional Instructions: Setting Up ESP32 in Arduino IDE
To get your XIAO ESP32 S3 Sense working with the Arduino IDE, follow these steps before uploading any sketches:
1️⃣ Install the Arduino IDE
- Download it from arduino.cc and install it on your computer.
2️⃣ Add the ESP32 Board Manager URL
- Open the Arduino IDE.
- Go to File > Preferences.
- In the "Additional Boards Manager URLs" box, paste: