Celestrius - AI that solves 1st-layer issues without a LiDAR
Celestrius is an AI model that uses a simple nozzle camera instead of a LiDAR to tackle a slew of notorious 1st-layer issues: under/over extrusion, bed adhesion problem, wrong z-offset, you name it.
What is Celestrius?
One of the innovations by Bambu Lab's X1 is a LiDAR that watches the 1st-layer for potential print issues.
On one hand, the Obico team is excited to see a new, innovative solution promised to address the issues that cause endless headaches to even the most-experienced 3D printing enthusiasts.
On the other hand, we don't believe LiDAR is an optimal choice for this task. The reasons are:
LiDARs are proprietary, expensive, and hard to source. This is a walled-garden solution that isn't aligned with the maker ethos deeply rooted in the 3D printing community.
AI technologies centered around cameras are advancing at a much faster pace than those for LiDARs.
LiDARs are for robots only. Cameras are for both robots and humans. Who doesn't enjoy watching a jaw-dropping video like this?
That's why the Obico team started project Celestrius - an AI model that will be a lot smarter than our current one simply thanks to the nitty-gritty detail a nozzle camera can reveal.
Well, this is the hope at least. In reality, we are not there yet because this project is damn hard! After tens of failed experiments, hundreds of print hours to collect data, and thousands of cups of coffee (Ok, may not be that much coffee. But you get the point), we now need your participation to push this project over the finish line.
And this is why we have now opened a limited pilot for project Celestrius.
Limited pilot?
"Limited pilot" is our fancy jargon for "we are looking for 50-100 qualified volunteers who want to work closely with us in further developing this AI model".
Can I participate in the limited pilot?
This limited pilot program is currently only open to users who either already have a nozzle camera installed, or have one of these printer models:
- Prusa MINI/MINI+
- Voron 2.4 (ideally with a Stealthburner toolhead)
- Voron Trident (ideally with a Stealthburner toolhead)
In order to participate in the limited pilot, you also need to have basic Linux skills such as using SSH to connect to your Raspberry Pi.
Why should I participate in the limited pilot?
First and foremost, it's because you are excited by the opportunity to participate in a cool AI project. Being part of this limited pilot program will give you the bragging right in front of your buddies: "You see this nozzle camera? I helped build the AI model that performs all the magic behind it."
Another reason why you should participate is to earn yourself a spot once the project enters the beta testing phase. We will reserve a spot for every limited pilot participant once we are open for beta testing.
Finally, all participants will have 1-year of free access to Celestrius once it goes live. We don't know how much we will charge as we currently have no idea how expensive it'll be for us to run in the cloud. But in any case, we guarantee 1-year free access to all limited pilot participants as this project wouldn't happen without you.
What am I supposed to do in the limited pilot?
First, if you don't already have a nozzle camera installed, you will need to buy a new one and get it set up for your printer. At the end of the limited pilot, we will send you an Amazon gift card to reimburse you for the cost of the nozzle camera, as long as you carry out all tests as expected. And the nozzle camera is for you to keep. :)
Here are the detailed guides for setting up the nozzle camera:
Once you have the nozzle camera ready to go, we will send you instructions to do some test prints for us. Currently we expect you to do about 10-20 prints. Each of them will last about 10 minutes.
Last but not least - give us feedback and suggestions! Remember you will be driving this pilot program just as much as we will.
How do I sign up for the limited pilot?
You can sign up for filling out this simple application form.