Computer Vision Engineer: Laser Line Detection (Approach Review + Algorithm + Validation Report)

I'm an independent inventor (Massachusetts LLC, patent-pending) developing a portable sports-training device that uses a projected laser line and a global-shutter mono camera to measure the angle of a small metal striking surface at the moment of impact. Target accuracy is ±0.5° on the angular measurement, with measurement latency under 2 seconds, and direct-sunlight robustness as a key engineering risk. This is an end-to-end Phase-0 feasibility engagement. The working assumption is laser-line + global-shutter mono camera with bandpass filtering, but I want your read on whether that's the right approach for this accuracy and these conditions. I have a strong lean, not a closed decision, and I'd rather you push back early than build something the wrong way. Once we align on the approach, you'll spec the bench rig (camera model, laser modules, filters, optics, baseline geometry, target mounting); I'll source the parts from your BOM and either ship the components for you to assemble or assemble and ship a built rig, your preference, whichever fits your workflow best. From there you capture data under controlled and outdoor conditions, develop the detection and calibration pipeline, and deliver a working codebase plus a written accuracy/robustness report. Hardware is returned to me on completion (or retained for a follow-on engagement if we both want to continue). What you'll deliver: 0. Approach review + rig spec. A short written deliverable (2–4 pages) covering: (a) your read on the proposed sensing approach, affirm + refine, or argue for an alternative with reasoning and a specific recommendation; (b) a bench-rig BOM with specific parts (camera model, laser modules, bandpass filters, optics, mounting, target plate) sized for the working distance and accuracy spec; (c) laser-to-camera baseline geometry with your reasoning, and recommended calibration targets. I'll source the parts from your BOM. We'll decide together whether I ship components for you to assemble or assemble and ship a built rig, whichever you'd rather. 1. Rig assembly or acceptance + baseline capture. Receive shipped parts (or built rig), assemble or validate alignment as appropriate, confirm basic optical performance against the M0 spec, then capture a baseline dataset (~200 frames per configuration) under controlled indoor lighting. Photos of the as-built rig and a setup diagram included. 2. Detection pipeline. A Python/OpenCV module that extracts the projected laser line with sub-pixel accuracy from frames at 60–100 fps. Sub-pixel line fit (Steger, Gaussian, parabolic) or weighted centroid, your choice with a short justification. 3. Calibration framework. Documented procedure and accompanying script for mapping pixel displacement to angular displacement of the target plate, accounting for camera intrinsics, lens distortion, and laser-to-camera baseline geometry. Validation against ground-truth rig angles. 4. Robustness data capture + analysis. Re-capture under (a) bright indoor with mixed daylight and (b) direct outdoor sunlight, for both laser variants with and without matched bandpass filters. Quantified accuracy + jitter per condition. 4–8 page PDF report comparing visible-red + bandpass vs. near-IR + matched bandpass. 5. Stretch (optional milestone): First cut at deriving angle-at-impact from a short pre/post-impact image sequence, pseudocode or working prototype, whichever fits the time budget. Deliverable format: Well-commented Python module(s) in a Git repo I'll provide, a README that walks a junior engineer through running the pipeline end-to-end, the captured datasets (raw frames + ground-truth angles), and a PDF report. What I'm looking for: - Comfort giving an unambiguous engineering recommendation: "use this approach with these parts" or "don't and here's why, and here's what to do instead." Phase 0 succeeds or fails based on the judgment in Milestone 0 as much as the algorithm in later milestones. - 5+ years of practical computer vision work, with shipped projects involving line/edge detection, sub-pixel feature localization, or structured-light triangulation. - Comfort doing your own benchtop work; mounting, alignment, basic optics handling. - Strong Python + OpenCV; comfort with NumPy/SciPy for the line-fit and calibration math. - Camera calibration experience (OpenCV calibrateCamera, distortion coefficients, projective geometry). - A workspace where you can run an outdoor sunlight test safely and legally with a Class-2 visible-red laser and a Class-1 IR laser module. - Bonus: prior work with laser triangulation, structured-light scanning, or sports/motion-tracking applications. - Bonus: experience deploying CV pipelines to Raspberry Pi or ESP32-S3-class hardware (potential follow-on scope). Engagement: - Fixed-price (preferred): $5,000–$7,500 total, paid across 5 milestones (approach review + rig spec → baseline capture → detection pipeline → calibration → robustness report). - Hourly alternative: $70–$140/hr with a 75-hour cap, then re-scope. - Duration: 5–7 calendar weeks (approach-review phase happens up front; ~1 week round-trip shipping after rig build). - Weekly 30-min check-ins (US Eastern preferred; flexible). - Hardware: shipped to you fully insured at my cost. Returned (insured, my prepaid label) on completion, or retained for follow-on engagement. - Possible follow-on: porting the pipeline to Raspberry Pi / ESP32-S3, IR laser variant tuning, integration support for the next prototype phase. Before we start: Short NDA + IP assignment signed before I ship the kit, share the technical design doc, or grant repo access. Upwork's standard terms transfer IP on payment, but I want a standalone signed PIIA on file as well, routine, less than 1 hour of your time. To apply, please include: 1. 1–2 examples of prior CV work involving sub-pixel localization, line fitting, or laser/structured-light triangulation. Paragraph + GitHub or paper link. 2. Three or four sentences on your approach to extracting a sub-pixel laser line centroid from a single frame. 3. Confirm you have a workspace where you can run both indoor and outdoor (direct-sunlight) image captures with a small bench rig, and that you're comfortable assembling the shipped kit. 4. Whether you prefer fixed-price or hourly, and your proposed milestone breakdown. 5. Without committing to a final answer until you've seen the full spec, a quick take: do you think projected laser line + global-shutter mono camera is the right sensing approach for ±0.5° angular accuracy at 60–100 fps under direct sunlight, or would you steer me toward a different approach? Two or three sentences. Looking forward to talking with strong candidates. Jason Apply tot his job Apply To this Job