More computing science
Jan. 22nd, 2010 12:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
carlfoxmartenBoy, I sure enjoy working for the Computing Science department, they're very supportive, encouraging, and very appreciative.
And I've just barely begun on the project!
It was suggested that we try connecting a webcam to one of the robots, but then we'd need to use a computer.
So, if we add a computer, we can't use the Command Module, but we can have the computer control the robot directly.
Problem: The computer I'm thinking of using doesn't have any serial ports.
Solution: Get a USB to serial adapter.
When I mentioned this to the C.S. program coordinator, she indicated that the department would cover the costs, and would even order them and have them shipped direct (to the department, of course).
To help out, I found an inexpensive place to buy them.
(Powersonic, at ~$12CAN versus Future Shop at $60. An additional problem is that the battery on the laptop I'd like to use only lasts about an hour before quitting on me...)
Anyway, I've got two ideas for projects that use a webcam:
I'm working on other ideas, as these aren't really all that interesting on their own.
I might write a framework with a GUI to control which program is currently running, possibly even with options to dynamically control each program's parameters.
Actually, that framework alone would be really handy to have, let alone any applications written with it...
And I've just barely begun on the project!
It was suggested that we try connecting a webcam to one of the robots, but then we'd need to use a computer.
So, if we add a computer, we can't use the Command Module, but we can have the computer control the robot directly.
Problem: The computer I'm thinking of using doesn't have any serial ports.
Solution: Get a USB to serial adapter.
When I mentioned this to the C.S. program coordinator, she indicated that the department would cover the costs, and would even order them and have them shipped direct (to the department, of course).
To help out, I found an inexpensive place to buy them.
(Powersonic, at ~$12CAN versus Future Shop at $60. An additional problem is that the battery on the laptop I'd like to use only lasts about an hour before quitting on me...)
Anyway, I've got two ideas for projects that use a webcam:
- Laser-pointer dot follower (just need to figure out how to find the dot in an image)
- Light or dark finder (almost trivial, just find the lightest or darkest part of the image and drive towards it)
I'm working on other ideas, as these aren't really all that interesting on their own.
I might write a framework with a GUI to control which program is currently running, possibly even with options to dynamically control each program's parameters.
Actually, that framework alone would be really handy to have, let alone any applications written with it...
