RoboRealm® is an application for use in computer vision, image analysis, and robotic vision systems. Using an easy point and click interface RoboRealm simplifies vision programming! Using an inexpensive USB webcam and the PC you already have you can now add machine vision to your robotic projects!
Image and/or video processing can be technically difficult. Home robots are continuously moving towards PC based systems (laptop, netbook, embedded, etc.) that have the power to support complex image processing functions. RoboRealm provides the software needed to get such a system up and running. We've compiled many image processing
functions into an easy to use windows based application that you can use with a webcam, TV Tuner, IP Camera, etc. Use RoboRealm to see your robot's environment, process the acquired image, analyze what needs to be done and send the needed signals to your robot's motors, servos, etc.
For example, you can use RoboRealm to track colored objects, navigate with obstacle avoidance, identify fiducials that let you robot know where it is, and much more!
Inexpensive Vision Application
Links Vision to Motion
Interactive GUI Interface
Socket based Server API
Multiple Interfaces (Disk, Web, FTP, Email, etc)
Plugin Framework for Custom Modules
Active Online Community
You are welcome to download a FREE 30 day trial of RoboRealm v2.26.18 and test out your vision ideas to see what may be possible or not ... have fun!
What's New
August 3, 2010 - Modules - Control » Other » Trossen Mosquitio
The Trossen MosquitIO module provides an interface to the MosquitIO Pan/Tilt system created and sold by
Trossen Robotics.
The robotic turret platform provides a very complete and easy way to integrate pan and tilt functionality into your
robotics project. In addition to the Arduino based MosquitIO board providing the servo PWM signals it also has 2 motor
controller ports, 3 analog in pins and 5 digital input/output pins. This provides enough control
capability for whatever you happen to chose to attach to the top of the pan/tilt system.
July 27, 2010 - Modules - Extensions » CScript Program
Joining the ranks of the VBScript and Python pluging
modules is the CScript module that uses PicoC
interpreter to allow you to use C code to perform simple tasks within RoboRealm. As always, for more power and control you can
use any of the Plugin or API architecture to extend RoboRealm using more
traditional programming tools.
July 17, 2010 - Show - Robotics Expo and Mini Maker Faire
Join us and many other robotic companies and enthusiasts on Sat, July 17th at Club Workshop in Denver, Colorado
for the Robotics Expo and Mini Maker Faire. We're celebrating what makes robotics really cool by gathering
together many of the local makers and roboticists at Club Workshop to share and enjoy everything robotic. We're
expecting to have quite a few robotic companies and local organizations participating. If you are in the area
and enjoy robots and things, stop by to support your local community as it stands to be quite a show. Best of
all, it is free to attend!
June 26, 2010 - Modules - Control » Other » Sparkfun Arduino
Have a look at the Sparkfun Arduino Duemilanove if you are looking for a servo controller plus digital and
analog input/output lines for your next project. Using a generic micro-controller as a part
of your robotic project provides some nice flexibility if you need to quickly react to inputs before reporting
back to the PC brain. The Sparkun Arduino module provides a quick way to get servo, digital and analog controls
in your project and provides a good framework in example Sketch code to customize your system beyond the original
use. With 6 servo controls, 6 analog in and 14 digital in/out the Duemilanove can become a valuable and inexpensive
part of your project.
June 24, 2010 - Modules - Point Features » Sample Curve
The Sample Curve module can be used to detect points in an objects outline that have high curvature. For example,
an image of a hand exhibits high curvature at the fingertips and inbetween the fingers. Isolating just the convex
points leaves you with just the location of the fingertips.
June 17, 2010 - Modules - Control » Other » Phidgets RFID
The Phidgets RFID module provides an interface to the Phidgets RFID tag reader. Using this device any RFID tag
placed about 3 inches from the reader will respond with a unique identification number. This number can then be used to
localize the robot, detect the presence of specific objects or be used to indicate tasks to perform.
June 17, 2010 - Modules - Other » Phidgets Accelerometer
The Phidgets Accelerometer module provides an interface to the Phidgets Accelerometer. Using this module you can read
all 3 axis of the Accelerometer by accessing the appropriate variables created by this module. This can be used to
determine if your robot is tilted in a way that may flip it over. Accelerometers are also very useful in balancing robots
to help them stay on two wheels!
June 12, 2010 - Modules - Extensions » HTTP
The Web is the largest repository of information known to humans. With the HTTP module
you can now leverage some of that knowledge by sending and receiving information over
HTTP (the web's protocol) and utilize that information within your Robotic project. With the
HTTP module's powerful tag based extraction language you can automate the extraction of
textual information from many websites regardless of if they provide a feed or not. Included
in the documentation are examples on how to grab stock quotes, jokes, and the current weather.
Apr 29, 2010 - Modules - Other » GPS Reader
The GPS Reader module provides a way to interface RoboRealm to most NMEA GPS devices that can be hooked up
to a PC using either a USB or serial connection. GPS devices provide a wealth of information including
latitude and longitude that can be used to localize where your robot is, it's heading and where it should
go. The GPS Reader module interprets the NMEA text from the GPS device to provide you with a visible
interface of the course your robot has taken and allows you to specify waypoints that can be used
to create a path.
Apr 29, 2010 - Modules - Other » Hokuyo URG Laser Scanner
The Hokuyo URG module provides an interface to the URG laser scanner. This small, compact and speedy scanner
is ideal for robots that need obstacle avoidance or navigation using a laser scanner.
The scanner is capable
of 100 ms scans (10 fps) and can detect objects up to distances of several meters.
You can purchase one of these
great scanners from stores like
RoadNarrows.
Apr 23, 2010 - Modules - Colors » Color Calibration
The Color Calibration module provides a way to better align the colors
within an image to that of reality. This is accomplished by including
a standardized color chart within the image that can be used as a color
reference. By aligning the image color chart with the known color chart
the rest of the image's pixels can be moved towards the calibrated colors.
Mar 18, 2010 - Promotion -
Partnered with Hackaday, Woot has a Rovio Special at $99.00! For a limited time only get your
copy of RoboRealm at a huge discount along with the Rovio robot.
Mar 8, 2010 - Modules - Control » Other » DMP RoBoard
The RoBoard module provides an interface to the intrinsic control capabilities of the RoBoard nano sized
PC based computer board. This miniature computer can run RoboRealm (assuming WinXP is installed)
and provides a shared 24 PWM servo or digital IO pins and 8 analog in pins (not to mention the ability to
attach a USB webcam!). This PC was built for
embedded robotics and offers a great solution for onboard processing with RoboRealm.
Mar 8, 2010 - Modules - Control » Robots » Lego NXT
The Lego Module has been upgraded to increase the ability and flexibly of the Lego NXT robotics kit by supporting the mindsensors.com NXT Servo board. Now
you can control an additional 8 regular RC servos using this handy extension to the Lego NXT system using the I2C bus capabilities.
Mar 4, 2010 - Modules - Control » Robots » CoroWare CoroBot
Provides an interface to the CoroWare CoroBot robot. The CoroBot is a PC based robot that
contains an ITX motherboard that is very capable of running RoboRealm onboard the
robot. With standardized interface boards the PC can control the robot to perform many
complex tasks including robot vision. The new RoboRealm CoroBot module quickly gets you started
in using RoboRealm with the CoroBot.
Mar 1, 2010 - Modules - Control » Other » Phidgets 888 Interface Kit
Provides an interface to the Phidgets 888 Interface Kit. The Interface kit has 8 digital output, 8 digital inputs and 8 analog
inputs that provide you with enough inputs and outputs to interface with many sensors.
Feb 15, 2010 - Modules - Control » Robots » GCtronic Epuck
- The GCtronic e-puck module provides an easy way to interface RoboRealm to the GCtronic e-puck robot sold
in the USA by RoadNarrows Robotics. The E-puck
has several sensors and is an ideal robot for small desktop based research and experimentation. More about
this great little Swiss robot can be found at the RoadNarrows website.
Feb 15, 2010 - User Projects - Control of a Mitsubishi Arm using Fiducial tracking
- Prof Martin Mason and his partner Laurent Coudert have put together a great tutorial on controlling an industrial robotic arm using computer vision.
It is definitely worth a read and also spending some time on ProfMason.com to read about all the other projects
he has been up to.
Feb 15, 2010 - Extensions » Python Program
- To accompany the embedded VBScript module, the Python module offers the same immediate simplicity of performing basic programming within RoboRealm
without having to jump into Plugin or API development. With the popularity and extensive support for Python we are sure that this will be a welcomed
addition to RoboRealm's ability to be extended beyond its base programming.
Feb 15, 2010 - Control » Servos » Pololu Maestro
- The Pololu Maestro servo controller board provides great fine tune control
for up to 6 servo's per board. The Maestro is small, compact and understands USB directly (you can still use COM if you want too) to avoid the
COM port selection confusion. Just plug in the board and the servos start responding with little configuration.
Feb 11, 2010 - User Projects - API Wrappers Classes
Rud Merriam has put together a great extension to the C++ API methods by adding a couple classes that make
working with RoboRealm Variables easier. Check out his blog at Mystic Lake Software for that and other
interesting technology development.
Jan 28, 2010 - User Projects - Object Tracking Using Visual Filters
PiRobot put together a new robot using Dynamixel AX-12+ servos and tested an algorithm for tracking a moving
object. The camera used is a DLink 920 wireless operating over 802.11g with the visual tracking being done by
RoboRealm. A great writeup (worth checking out) describes how this was done.
Dec 21, 2009 - User Projects - Millswood GCS for Attopilot
Millswood Engineering has released a RoboRealm based GCS for Attopilot which intrinsically supports the
Failsafe by sending out heartbeats and reading a joystick to control pan, tilt and zoom outputs. The GCS writes
KML files, and timestamps everything to allow you to replay your flights within Google Earth, and if there are
markers they will appear at the correct time. The download comes with a replay robofile which allows you to
preview the system without an active connection.
Dec 21, 2009 - Modules - Spherical Transform
The Spherical Transform module, as does the Fisheye and Radial modules, also corrects for wide angle lens distortion.
The Spherical module attempts to preserve objects on the edges of the image to achieve a wider angle correction
than the other transform modules. The Spherical module creates more appealing results on wide angle images
taken from a forward looking camera.
Dec 21, 2009 - Modules - Fisheye Transform
The Fisheye Transform module helps to unwarp an image created by a fisheye lens to a more usable format where
lines appear straight. The Fisheye Transform module uses a fisheye lens model in order to achieve this
rectification in an easier way than the Radial Transform module. The Fisheye module creates more appealing results on images
taken from an omnidirectional camera.
Dec 7, 2009 - Modules - Endurance WiFi Servo Controller
The Endurance WiFi Servo Controller module allows you to interface RoboRealm to servos using a controller made by Endurance R/C
The WiFi based servo controller supports up to 8 servos and can be controlled over a WiFi 802.11
wireless signal. The connection to the remote board appears as a COM port to the host PC.
Dec 7, 2009 - Modules - Velleman K8055
The Velleman K8055 module provides an interface to the Velleman board from RoboRealm.
The K8055 interface board has 5 digital input channels and 8 digital output channels. In addition, there
are two analogue inputs and two analogue outputs with 8 bit resolution.
Nov 6, 2009 - Modules - Blob Split
The Blob Split is functionally similar to the Open and Watershed modules which seek to split blobs into reasonable
separate blobs in order to allow for additional processing on single objects. Blob splitting is very useful when
objects cannot be segmented into separate objects and are touching each other. Running any statistics or shape matching
on connected objects would cause incorrect results. The Blob Split module offers more control over the splitting process than previous modules.
Oct 8, 2009 - User Projects - Hexapod RoboVision over IP
Hexapod, Eyera Anubis, is spider-like robot with robotic vision using RoboRealm. 3 Degress of Freedom, 3 leads on each limb (Coxa,
Femur, Tibia), that determine the mechanics of movement. Additionally 2 drives provide Pan & Tilt on the camera. A total of 20 servos. More
specifications and material used can be found here.
See the robot in action here.
Oct 8, 2009 - Modules - Control » Motors » Phidgets Motor Control
The Phidget Motor Controller module allows you to interface RoboRealm to the Phidgets Motor Controllers (LV and HC).
Both motor controllers are USB based and can control two brushed DC motors independently for
direction, velocity and acceleration. The LV (low voltage) version also has 4 digital inputs.
Oct 5, 2009 - Modules - Colors » Align Histogram
The Align Histogram module is a useful precursor to any image comparison routines
such as template matching, cross correlation, stereo depth or simple image subtraction. The
Align Histogram module takes as input two images and will align the colors in the "source" image
with those specified in the "target" image.
Sept 30, 2009 - Modules - Control » Robots » A-WIT BOL-BOT
The BOL-BOT is unique in the sense that users develop a robotics platform as an embedded
system using professional software development tools and a professional programming
language in a very user friendly environment. The versatility of the
C Stamp guarantees that you can expand your robot as needed. The A-WIT_BOL_BOT module provides
and interface to the BOL-BOT from RoboRealm and allows you to add vision capabilities to
the BOL-BOT platform.
Sept 30, 2009 - Modules - Control » Servos » Nubotics Wheel Commander
The WheelCommander™ controller takes the burden of complex feedback control firmware off
of the main robot controller. Motor control is derived from geometrical robot dimensions to create a highly abstracted
motion control module. The WheelCommander module provides an interface to the WheelCommander
controller.
Sept 18, 2009 - Modules - Point Features » Peak Valley Probe
Similar to the Edge Probe, the Peak Valley Probe module provides a way to detect peaks and valleys in
pixel intensities along a specified line. This is handy when detecting patterns or pixel frequencies.
Sept 10, 2009 - Modules - Analysis » Line Profile
Sometimes it is just hard to visualize pixel data in a way that helps with analysis. The Line Profile module
provides a nice way to "see your data on its side" and gain a better understanding of what the pixel value
terrain actually looks like in an image. The Line Profile tool is a good way to get started on developing
a more advanced processing algorithm by understanding the basics of pixel value changes.
August 13, 2009 - Modules - Expressions
Many modules allow for [variable] to be used in place of static numbers. This flexibility allows for either
use of standard numbers or variables in a fields that can be used either way. The most recent release allows
for full expressions to now be specified in addition to just variables. Prior to this release you could have used the VBScript module to
provide for simple calculations. However, using the [variable] expression is quicker and easier to update. For
example, you can now specify [(120-COG_X)+10] in text fields whereas before only [COG_X] was understood.
August 13, 2009 - Modules - Read/Write Clipboard
Two new modules to read and write to the clipboard allow for immediate processing of images
on the clipboard. This adds another integration possibility that you can use to integrate your own applications
to RoboRealm or allows for some neat capabilities even from other applications. For example, the example
included in the help pages for those modules includes a way to copy and image to the clipboard from a paint
program (using CTRL-C), having RoboRealm immediately process the image and then paste the processed results
back into the paint program even without leaving the application!
June 30, 2009 - Modules - Probes
For those working in part alignment, quality assurance, etc., (i.e. the meat of industrial Machine Vision) RoboRealm now includes many new probes
that provide you with the additional tools for such tasks. Probes are tools that look for certain features
within a specific location in an image. The results of which can help determine the quality or characteristics
of parts in order to know if they meet manufacturing guidelines. The Edge Probe looks for edges in a specified area,
the Line Probe looks for lines, the Circle Probe looks for circles,
and the Thickness Probe analyses the thickness of objects. Using these
tools assumes that the image has been sufficiently aligned in a known position perhaps using the Orient Image module.
June 10, 2009 - Tutorial - Fun with Surveyor
Surveyor and RoboRealm have teamed up to introduce a powerful combination of hardware and software by bundling the
RoboRealm machine vision application along with every purchased SRV Surveyor robot. With an onboard camera and WiFi
connectivity the computing capabilities of the SRV are extended by using RoboRealm running on a regular
desktop PC to perform more advanced image processing tasks. Using this combination of hardware and software
provides the ability to extend a low power, compact, and mobile hardware platform with significant computing
power without compromising the attractiveness of the platform. Order your new Surveyor robot now packaged with RoboRealm
at the Surveyor Store.
May 15, 2009 - Modules - Matching » Fiducial
The Fiducial module will track barcode like fiducials in the camera's view. This is
very useful for localization and navigation as it creates known beacons that a robot
can detect and use to find its way. Fiducials are markers that can be easily detected, recognized and
associated with additional information such as mapping, direction or other commands.
May 15, 2009 - Modules - Other » Skyline
It is often useful to know what is sky and what is ground. The skyline module
provides a suggestion as to how the image might be split in two to effectively divide
the image into two most likely parts. Turns out that this is a nice way to separate
ground from sky!
Apr 23, 2009 - Modules - Blobs » Blob Tracking
The Blob Tracking module provides a way to track a blob from one image to another
in order to better understand the path an object has taken over time. In any movement tracker
project you need to relate a current blob with a blob in the previous image to know how
an object has moved. The Blob Tracking module provides you with several features that can be
used in combination to define how blobs can be related from image to image.
Apr 08, 2009 - Modules - Variables » Chart Variables
The Chart Variables module provides a way to better view the changes
that occur for a given variable over time by plotting a variable's value
on a moving graph.
Apr 08, 2009 - Modules - Variables » Filter Variables
The Filter Variables module provides a way to filter a variable's value
over time in order to remove noise generated in a given image.
Mar 13, 2009 - Modules - Point Features » Cluster Points
The cluster points module provides a way to group pixels into larger objects that may not be connected or might not be separated correctly.
Feb 18, 2009 - Modules - Control » Cameras » Linksys Internet Camera
The Linksys module provides an interface to the Linksys internet camera such that the
images can be processed by RoboRealm and pan/tilt commands can be issued automatically to the camera.
Feb 18, 2009 - Modules - Control » Servos » SOR_Axon
The SOR_Axon provides a module interface to the Axon MCU created and sold by the folks
over at Society of Robots.
With 55+ I/O channels, 16 analog ports, 3 UARTs, and 16 MIPS ATmega640 throughput at 16 MHz it's quite a
hefty MCU which has received considerable interest by the robotic community.
Feb 10, 2009 - Modules - Transform » Transform Image
It is not always possible to position a camera just right such that the scene under investigation
is appropriate for analysis. The Transform Image module provides a more comprehensive way to transform
an image using a homogenous matrix into a desired rotation, scale, etc. The Transform Image module
allows for rotation in the X and Y plane as most images in robotics do come from a 3D World. The
parameterized values that represent the homogenous matrix are also kept up to sync as best as possible
so if you've every wondered what each value in a homogenous matrix actually does to an image ... you can finally
find that out!
Feb 5, 2009 - Modules - Control » Other » USB-UIRT
One of the biggest issues with Roboticists is being able to control hardware devices
under computer control. Many IR devices are not applicable to control
from a PC since they do not provide any means of communication to a PC. That's where
the USB-UIRT becomes valuable. The USB-UIRT is an IR recording and
playback device that allows you to record any IR signal from a remote that can then be played
back to control the hardware device. The USB-UIRT plugs into your computer using a USB cable and
now with the new USB-UIRT module in RoboRealm can be controlled within your robotic
machine vision projects!
Feb 5, 2009 - Modules - Colors » Lab_Channel
The Lab_Channel module has been added to provide conversion to and from the RGB color space
to the CIE-Lab color space.
Feb 4, 2009 - API - MATLAB API
MATLAB is a powerful numerical processing application. By popular request we have
just released an example of how to integrate MATLAB and RoboRealm through the use
of MATLAB's Mex programming. You can now access both images and variables in RoboRealm
from MATLAB. The example DLL along with the source to the Mex file is
now included in the RoboRealm API download.
Jan 15, 2009 - Modules - Transform » Orient Image
Rotation of an image is often undesirable when attempting to match the image against a known database
or for further processing. The Orient Image module provides a way to orient an image into a canonical
orientation. Note that not all images have an intrinsic orientation and thus some will be
unstable when determining this standard orientation. Nevertheless, for images that contain a large
amount of straight lines (such as images of doorways, furniture, etc.) this module is yet another
way of orientating the image for further processing. One should note that many human man scenes exhibit
a large degree of vertical lines (buildings, doorways, rooftops, windows, etc.) that can be used
to determine the orientation of the image. The Orient Image module can determine to a limited degree
if a photo is in landscape or portrait view based on this principal.
Jan 9, 2009 - Modules - Robots » WowWee Rovio
Joining the Spykee, the Rovio module adds another robotic webcam under the control
of RoboRealm. Like the Spykee robot the Rovio sends images over 802.11 (WiFi) to a PC running RoboRealm.
With the omnidirectional wheels the Rovio adds an interesting twist to
moving the robot around as you can now move in any direction you want. Keep in mind that the
Rovio's camera appears to need quite a bit of light so be sure to keep that in mind when
using this platform. Which one do we like better between the Rovio and the Spykee? That's something
you'll have to found out for yourselves as each has some advantages in certain situations.
As in most cases the nature of your project will favor one robot over the other.
Jan 1, 2009 -
Welcome to the new year! We're excited about the possibilities of what this new year will bring in terms of
new technology and innovation in a time where the world really needs hope for the future. To support our
continuing efforts to provide robotic machine vision software we're undergoing
some license changes for commercial users. To mark the addition of a $499.00 fee for commercial users
we are updating the application version to 2.0 to mark this event. Please note that this fee is only required
for commercial users. We look forward
to providing you with many more amazing modules in the coming year. Happy new year!
Dec 28, 2008 - Modules - Robots » Erector Spykee
The Spykee module provides an interface from RoboRealm to the Erector Spykee robot. Using the
module you can command the robot
to respond to images processed from the Spykee robot. The robot sends images over
802.11 (WiFi) to a PC running RoboRealm which provides a great mobile robot vision platform.
Dec 05, 2008 - User Projects -
Owen Sound Real-time Weather Conditions - This is, perhaps, the only autonomous real-time snow gauge currently
operating on the internet. It employs a Linksys WVC200 network camera pointed at a length
of 2½-inch PVC pipe painted fluorescent orange. The pipe is held upright by an outdoor
umbrella stand with its sleeve painted orange to match the PVC pipe.
Nov 25, 2008 - Tutorial - The Lego PC Bot
tutorial shows how to use machine vision onboard a Lego NXT based PC robot. The robot can move around a
carpeted environment using a camera to determine the difference between the carpet and obstacles.
Nov 21, 2008 - Tutorial - The Obstacle Avoidance
tutorial shows how to use machine vision to avoid objects that are within the camera's view.
The tutorial starts off with some basic techniques that are easy to understand and can be used around the
home environment followed by more advanced techniques that are more generally applicable.
Nov 10, 2008 - Link - Q&A with RoboRealm
Want to know more about RoboRealm? Check out the
"Machine Vision 4 Users" blog where Steven answers a couple questions
posed by Brian about RoboRealm and machine vision in general.
Oct 16, 2008 - Link - RoboDevelopment - Visual Obstacle Avoidance
If you're in the San Francisco area next month be sure to stop by the
RoboDevelopment conference in San Jose where Steven will be giving a talk on
how to use machine vision on mobile robots for obstacle avoidance and navigation. The talk will use
RoboRealm running on mobile PC based robots to demonstrate several techniques that you can try
in your own projects! This should be a great show and we're very excited about being a part of presenting at
RoboDevelopment.
Oct 16, 2008 - Module - Colors » Segment Colors
The Segment Colors module is functionally similar to the Flood Fill module but provides more stable blobs when viewed
as video and is also a faster module than the flood fill. The purpose behind both the Segment Colors and Flood Fill module
is to reduce the image into collections of pixels called blobs that can be further processed based on shape, size, etc. by
the Blob Filter or other such modules.
Oct 15, 2008 - Module - Transforms » Optical Flow
Optical flow is a great tool to investigate the motion of objects. While it has its limitations
Optical flow can be used for motion segmentation, object detection, and object tracking.
Oct 15, 2008 - Module - Other » Laser Line
Lasers are just plain fun! They are also useful for robots using machine vision to
actively modify the environment in a way that is easier to sample and understand. The Laser Line
module does exactly that by detecting a red laser line in from of the robot in order
to avoid obstacles in its path. Combined with the Laser Spot detector
RoboRealm now has some straightforward ways to start using lasers in your next project.
But be careful, lasers can be harmful to your eyes!
Sept 19, 2008 - Tutorial - Tutorial » Marble Maze
The Marble Maze tutorial shows how to use image processing and custom path planning to
solve rolling a marble from a start point to and end point within the maze.
Sept 09, 2008 - Module - Loading/Saving » Ftp Images
The Ftp Images module provides a way to transmit images from RoboRealm to an FTP server. This
module can be used to update remote sites with images based on a specific frequency or time
criteria.
Sept 09, 2008 - Module - Transforms » Bottle Unwrap
The Bottle Unwrap module transforms an image that is wrapped around a bottle surface into a flat surface. This module
is often used as a precursor to an OCR module in order to correct for curve distortion when imaging a curved
surface.
Sept 09, 2008 - Module - Extensions » Modbus
The Modbus protocol is a well established simple data transmission
protocol often used to transmit signals between PCs and PLC type devices. The Modbus slave module accepts
modbus master requests over TCP/IP and provides a way for PLC modbus compliant devices to access RoboRealm
variables.
June 09, 2008 - Module - Control » Servos » Endurance Servo
The Endurance Servo module allows you to interface RoboRealm to servos using a controller made by Endurance R/C
The USB based servo controller supports up to 25 servos and provides for an external servo power supply in
order to run 5v, 6v, or 9v servos.
June 09, 2008 - Module - Interface » Keyboard Send
The Keyboard Send module creates a way to simulate keypresses as if you were typing into a
different application other than RoboRealm. This method provides a way to integrate the
results processed by RoboRealm into other applications without requiring any custom integration
between the two applications.
June 09, 2008 - Module - Loading/Saving » Screen Capture
The screen capture module provides you with the ability to capture the video output of
any application that
has a display on your computer screen and process that output within RoboRealm as if it
were just another webcam video stream. For example, the
very popular virtual environment Second Life can be used as a simulator to test out computer
vision algorithms without needing a robot or scenery to physically exist.
June 03, 2008 - Module - Transforms » Perspective
The Perspective Correction module provides an image transform that corrects for
the effects of perspective depth. Perspective will distort objects to appear larger
the closer they are to the
camera source and smaller when further away.
Using RoboRealm you can create a low cost vision software solution with a standard webcam that allows you
to explore the very complex world of image analysis and image processing.
Through an easy to use analysis pipeline you can add image processing filters to translate an image into
robotic movements or computer actions for your vision-guided robotic projects.
Image and/or video processing can be technically difficult. Home robots are continuously moving towards high
powered PC based systems that are capable of supporting complex image processing functions. Sometimes
you just need a testbed of current image processing applications to test potential ideas that you
want your robot or computer + webcam application to perform. We've compiled several image processing functions into a
easily accessable windows based application that you can use with your computer's webcam. You can
use it to test out your machine vision ideas and see what may be possible or not ... have fun! We did!