What we've tested with our platform (https://www.aidlab.com/developer) was to reach out as many as possible local geeks/hackers and ask them to play with our device. We stopped coding, manufacturing, prototyping etc for like 2 months, just to show our poor designed, glitchy prototype (it was far far away from the MVP).
So we have presented them what's going on inside in-depth, what are the possibilities, and what are we currently struggling with. They were really eager to help - some of them actually bought the product so we had both: market validation and great feedback.
Sorry to hear about your project. I met someone just recently who works for an Israeli company called OrCam - they have a pretty swish glasses-mounted camera solution for assisting vision impaired users
So we have presented them what's going on inside in-depth, what are the possibilities, and what are we currently struggling with. They were really eager to help - some of them actually bought the product so we had both: market validation and great feedback.