RoboRealm Forum

Phidgets [3]

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:02:06 EST

RR does not crash when the 8/8/8 I/O board is disconnected and the Phidgets module is loaded. It says "connected to N/A". When the I/O board is plugged in is either says "connected to 0" or "connected to 544503909" at which point the module either becomes unresponsive or if I attempt to assign a variable to one of the analogue values, RR crashes. I have a USB camera (PS3 eye) and Sabertooth (connected by a USB-to-TTL on COM3), however disconnecting them does not appear to make any difference.

Phidgets [2]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 23:02:48 EST

I am attempting to use the Phidgets 8/8/8 I/O board to control several analogue input variables in RR. When I start the Phidgets module in RR it opens, and I can see the values change with activation of the sensor, however when I attempt to assign a variable to the value, RR crashes to desktop. I have the latest Phidgets drivers installed (x64), and the Phidgets stand-alone software works fine. RR v2.42.34. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Avoid bottom border [7]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 20:02:22 EST

This feature needs to work on a cropped image. In my project the image is already cropped before applying the blob filter.

Avoid bottom border [6]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 19:02:13 EST

Yes that would definitely do the trick. Thanks

Crop-Marker-Math-DisplayImage [4]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 19:02:52 EST

Steven

I have attached the robo routine that I hoped would work. Again I am trying to reduce the amp glow that is in the upper left hand corner of the master image (the green glow). I idea was to crop the image so I have isolated most of the glow, I apply the Salt and Pepper at 200 and 1 to produce a smooth amp glow and then do an arithmetic subtraction of the cropped and S&P image. Finally I want to place this final result back on the master image.

Michael

Avoid bottom border [5]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 18:02:39 EST

Dawson,

Just to confirm, if the Blob Filter had a "remove if touches bottom border" would that do the trick? It has the "Touches Border" filter but that's not based on a particular side. If this would work for you we can add that to the blob filter.

Let us know and we can get that added for you.

STeven.

Avoid bottom border [4]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 18:02:32 EST

I am working with the blob filter module. I cant crop the bottom portion of the image out as it may or may not be there (the blob). However i want to implement a logic where by if the blob is there and is touching the bottom border it should be ignored (filtered out)

Define Area of Measurement [3]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:02:45 EST

Boris,

We can't make any recommendations without seeing some images. Are you able to post a couple source images that show the object you are trying to track and some images where they become unstable?

As a guess, you may try the Color_Balance module in auto mode to try to keep the colors within their bounds.

If you do not wish to measure parts of the image use the Crop module to remove those parts from the image.

Have you tried the RGB_Filter module instead of the Color_Filter module?

STeven.

Now AVM is working faster [33]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:02:55 EST

The AVM module is not the issue here. You have the Sparkfun module which is probably not connected to a device which is slowing down the fps. Disable the Sparkfun module for now and you should see the fps increase dramatically.

Those gray numbers at the right side of the pipeline show the speed required for each module. Higher is worse. Thus it is clear from your video that the Arduino module is the issue and NOT the AVM.

STeven.

Now AVM is working faster [32]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:02:59 EST

I noticed that you really have set resolution to 320x240 30 fps in settings of your camera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=oUJ2aAZy6OQ#t=13s

However this video look like as there is still some delay that happens from time to time.

I think that your additional software that you use for demo recording could cause this issue.

Can you write video in other way (with using of "Content/Loading/Seving/Write_AVI" module for example)?

Avoid bottom border [3]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:02:02 EST

Dawson,

Can you crop that part of the image out? I.e. just process that part that you need to and then merge the result back into the original image? This can be done with the display image module.

Which filter are you working with?

STeven.

IF I do decide to buy it ... [3]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:02:51 EST

RoboRealm does 'sense' which machine it is installed on and restricts usage to the number of purchased licenses. You can uninstall and re-install on the other to move a license but it will restrict you to just to the set number of licenses. This is unfortunate but now required due to past problems of rampant illegal copying and usage of the application.

If you would like to make a case for additional copies for your own use you can use the contact form to send us an email directly.

STeven.

Define Area of Measurement [2]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 13:02:35 EST

Hy,

i�m using roborealm for about 2 years. We are testing some led�s with webcams and it realy works fine.

But now we have another project and i�m running out of time.

I have to check if there are any blue things in a picture from the webcam.
This works with the colorfilter but not stable.

How can i define areas in the picture where the measurement is on and off?
How can i increase the result for a color difference?

Thanks for your help.

MSRDS 4 beta2 is not working with Roborealm [3]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:02:28 EST

I'm also experiencing the same problem...!!!
Is not there anyone? to help in solving this problem....
Please....help me out!!!

Now AVM is working faster [31]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 11:02:38 EST

Setting off Microsoft HD5000 Webcam
I have tried to off the autofocus, hopefully, it also considered off in AVM and have not tried in the robot as, I improving the based as their is some mechanical problem as one of the wheel leading at the same speed,

http://youtu.be/oUJ2aAZy6OQ

Here is the experimental when the autofocus is on, Maybe you can give comments and ways of improvement.

I am still wondering how do you check that 25 fps at 320 X240, I know I have to change the setting in Camera to 320 x 240 and I Do not know how do I check fps based on my 320 x 240,

Maybe you can tell me how you know from your logitech C270 ( i Know this is almost the same spec as mine but yours do not have autofocus and for information all high end webcam, should have autofocus, so it is bad for AVM right,

And the photo is the setting of my Microsoft, seemed my laptop can only go for 1280 x 720 HD :) so are you telling me that at 320 x 240, the resolution is small so the fps is faster, as the higher the resolution the slower the fps.

Avoid bottom border [2]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 05:02:27 EST

Hi STeven,

I want to apply a filter that avoids the bottom border only. Can this be done?

How would I pass information to my robot? [2]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 03:02:26 EST

I recently downloaded the trial version of RoboRealm and it looks great!  It really doesn't look too hard to use - I played around with it a little bit the other night using our laptop's webcam and read the obstacle avoidance tutorial.  I just have one problem - how do I pass information from RoboRealm on our laptop to the microcontroller on my robot?

I have a VEXpro microcontroller with a Linix 2.6 OS which connects to a software developement program on our laptop by WiFi.  The software developement program has a terminal window, command line prompt, and allows users to write, debug, compile, and download C/C++ code.

What got me interested in trying this was an arlicle in the March/April issuse of ROBOT Magazine about streaming video to your pc from a webcam using the VEXpro.  The article mentioned being able to use RoboRealm to do image processing and that the project software could pass information.  The pc part is in Java and I don't have any idea how to install or run it.  The article really didn't give any instructions for that part.

I'm really not an advanced programmer and learning to use the VEXpro has had a few challenges, but I've actually suprised myself since I had no C or C++ programming experience.

Is this possible or something way over a beginner's head?  Any help would really be appreciated.

Thanks

IF I do decide to buy it ... [2]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 03:02:26 EST

I have a couple questions. Will I have to have a different license on each computer I used it on (like my laptop and my desktop)? In other words, can Roborealm "sense" which computer it's been installed on, and demand I pay for a second copy to install on the new computer, or will it allow me to install it on any or all of the computers I own?

Now AVM is working faster [30]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 02:02:30 EST

If your "LifeCam HD-5000" works faster than 25 fps then it is not problem but really would better if you will be able to set it to 320x240 25 fps.

You should try also to shut down in camera driver any preliminary software processing such as auto focus or less lighting correction for increasing of camera FPS.

Also you can try to buy "Logitech HD Webcam C270" that I used in my experiment and it really is convenient for this task.

Crop-Marker-Math-DisplayImage [3]

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 01:02:36 EST

Michael,

Can you include the robofile that you are using? Having this would help us complete the task that you are asking about. Otherwise we can provide you with a robofile that does what you ask but that not may be much help.

STeven.

Now AVM is working faster [29]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 22:02:48 EST

Great, ya i ll video my experiment and i am not sure if my webcam haa 25fps on video. When i purchased it stated 30fps but nvr specified what resolution.

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/lifecam-hd-5000/7ND-00001#details

I noticed this webcam has autofocus and not sure if it affect the navigation as their is probably a selay for autofocus. Maybe i can conform the webcam as if it is not suitable i only has 3 days for exhange now.

Crop-Marker-Math-DisplayImage [2]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 21:02:46 EST

Hi,

I'm trying to remove the amp glow from a astronomical image. My logic seems sound, but alas my execution is failing.

I first crop the selected corner with the amp glow (success)
I use a Marker to give this cropped image a name (success)
I use a salt & pepper adjustment (success)
I use a Marker to save this image (success
I use Arithmetic and subtract the 1st Marker from the Second Marker (success most of amp glow is removed from Cropped image)
I want to use Display image with the Source (should be original uncropped image) and the newly amp glowless-cropped image. (failure)

I cannot combine the amp-glowless image with the original Source. I cannot even get the source image to appear even if I Marker it with a name before the process. I have uploaded the original image and the amp-glowless cropped image.

I just want to place the cropped amp-glowless image where it was cropped from the original image

Now AVM is working faster [28]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:02:18 EST

Thank you for your efforts!

And I think that you have good chances for review my experiments with navigation on your robot. You should just provide your video with testing of AVM Navigator from time to time. In this case I would be able analyze it and could advise how to resolve current problems with adaptation of your robot to AVM Navigator module.

>> I set the resolution to 320x240. I am slow down the robot to 50 %. However it still swirl left and right and really not as fast as your because of swirling motion.

1. Make sure that your camera can provide 25 fps on resolution 320x240 and if it less then AVM Navigator will not be able to control your robot.

2. Force the running motors of your robot to slow down more.

>> I am curious when u demo it is it your house interior and colorful carpet play a part so it has able to detect and math corresponding images and process it.

The color has no sense for AVM because this algorithm use only grayscale matching. So, good object for recognition with AVM should has appreciable texture (it should not look like cleared wall).

>> Also i am not too sure how the red dot is created . Are more red dot in navigation by map indicate the turn / images robot capture / just a random algorithm point you created it at some interval? I need ur comment on this.

First the navigator finds path from actual position of robot to target position (maze solving) and then plans trajectory that consist of waypoints (red dots). And it really can be points for robot turn if it needed when robot go through.

>> What is the navigation mode used for?

Just follow this simple video tutorial for marking and navigation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVz9iBazqug

Help with Project [6]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:02:04 EST

Yea I was planning on changing the DIO lines as you describe.

Help with Project [5]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:02:04 EST

Fraser,

So how do you want to trigger those DIO lines? Are you intending to trigger a single DIO line based on what color is seen? Or is there a specific combination of DIO lines based on the specific color. Is it

red -> DIO 15 true
green -> DIO 16 true
etc.?

STeven.

Angle between two blobs [3]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:02:09 EST

You got it! More info can be found at

http://www.roborealm.com/help/Expressions.php

Your specific project answered in this thread

http://www.roborealm.com/forum/index.php?thread_id=4363#

STeven.

Angle between two blobs [3]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:02:34 EST

Answered in this thread

http://www.roborealm.com/forum/index.php?thread_id=4363#

STeven.

Angle between two blobs [3]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:02:02 EST

Markus,

Very close! You just needed to use

BLOBS:0
BLOBS:1
etc. in the variable boxes. Seems that you had tracking before this which was probably removed.

Note that 90deg appears to be straight down so keep in mind that the order in the angle calculation is important. I sorted the blobs in increasing Y so that regardless of if yellow is above red you will still get angles in the top hemisphere (0 to 180).

Nice idea for docking!!

STeven.

Now AVM is working faster [27]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 12:02:25 EST

Hi edv, had just bought an external camera hd and as u said i set
The resolution To 340x 240. I am slow down te robot to 50 %. however it stil swirl left and right and. Really not as fast as your because of swirling motion. I am curious when u demo it is it your house interior and colorful carpet play a part so it has able to detect and math corresponding images and process it.

Also i am not too sure how the red dot is created . Are more red dot in navigation by map indicate the turn / images robot capture / just a random algorithm point you created it at some interval? I need ur comment on this.

There is also a moment where the robot is just go straigjt without swirl left and right for every 5 cm an this is beyond my reason. Hopefully i am intend to find a reason and hope can macimize this moment of going straigjt without zigzag .

What is the navigation mode used for ? . I am not really clear, hope u can do video on te application on navigation mode . So far i just explored marking mode

Help with Project [4]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:02:25 EST

So teven .

I am intending to change DIO lines which will connect to to a robot controller.

Fraser

Angle between two blobs [2]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 07:02:40 EST

I found how I was supposed to get the values out of the arrays! :-)
from this post: http://www.roborealm.com/forum/index.php?thread_id=4240#
it wasn't CROSSHAIR_COORDINATES(0) but:

CROSSHAIR_COORDINATES:0
CROSSHAIR_COORDINATES:2

Thanks anyway.

Angle between two blobs [2]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 07:02:34 EST

I had some progress but only by "voodoo programing"
I used the Blob_replace module and got the CROSSHAIR_COORDINATES for the two blobs. I was able to draw a line between the two crosshairs but I still don't get how that worked!
I used the "Display line(s)" module and selected as the Data Source: Variable
X Start = CROSSHAIR_COORDINATES
Y Start = CROSSHAIR_COORDINATES(1)
X End = 0
Y End = 0
It works but I don't get the logic in it.
I haven't managed to get the angle of this line.

Face Matching [11]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 05:02:18 EST

But how it differs from exporting of AVM object data as: "AVM Navigator" -> avm.dat -> RcgExample2.exe that I mentioned earlier?

If you want to save data from your own program that using �Library AVM SDK simple.NET� then you should use WritePackedData/ReadPackedData methods for data finalizing and Save/Load for data saving.

Face Matching [10]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 04:02:26 EST

Hi EDV ,

can you tell me how to create .dat file using one of these samples

Angle between two blobs [2]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 04:02:25 EST

Hello.
I want to use Roborealm to make my robot dock by itself to its charger.
I am trying to find the angle between two blobs (red and yellow) in the photo.
The idea is that when the two blobs are directly one above the other, (0 degrees between the two centers of gravity) the approach is correct. I don't know what variables to put in the angle calculation module, so I get a correct answer.
If you know of a better way to achieve this task, please enlighten me.
Thank you.

Know Nothing [3]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 03:02:39 EST

Kathy,

RoboRealm only communicates with the Vex as the Vex is unable to run a PC based program. Thus you will still need a PC in order to run RoboRealm.

The most common way to achieve your plan is to put a PC on the robot that runs RoboRealm.

STeven.

Vex Serial Communication [3]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 02:02:24 EST

Just for completeness ... this turns out to be due to a change in the VEX firmware (most likely when the Cortex controller came along) which now causes the Vex module not to work. This new firmware appears to be incompatible with the older Vex systems.

STeven.

Robo Relam Trial expired [2]

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 01:02:02 EST

Hi,

My Robo Relam Trial period has expired .
Is it possible to increase trial period.

if yes then how can i increase trial period.

Help with Project [3]

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 23:02:09 EST

Fraser,

It depends what you mean by "output on an arduino". Do you plan to move a servo? Or change a DIO line?

You'd start using one of the Arduino modules to send the appropriate command to the appropriate area.

Most likely you'd need a small script to prepare the variable with the right value based on your results of the color sample. Without knowing what you want the Arduino to do its hard to know what variables need to be converted/created.

STeven.

Multiple SSC-32 modules in [5]

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 22:02:12 EST

Jape,

Yes, you would have to create a module per board in the pipeline.

Check the Pololu Maestro module (different than the Pololu SSC) which is probably the one you were looking at. That supports up to 24.

However, that one may not connect to multiple boards and may incur a delay in us updating that module if you decide to go that direction. So if you do decide on that board then let us know in advance.

You have the right idea on the 1D array. Just use

servo:0
servo:1
servo:2

where you put the variables in the SSC dialog etc. instead of

servo(0)

but the effect is the same.

STeven.

Help with Project [2]

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 06:02:45 EST

I am currently working on a project where i plan on using roborealm to identify the colour of a randomly supplied sweet and then change the output on an arduino.

I have filtered the image form the camera to flaten the colours out and am using the sample_colour function to detect and supply a nearest match from four presets. I am unsure how to progress form hear.

I ahve attached the program so far.

Now AVM is working faster [26]

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 03:02:15 EST

>> Would that be possible to place it on the 1.3 m height and navigate it?

Seems like this should work. But you should develop hardware obstacle detection system that will prevent collision with walls because if your robot will has big mass you should have hardware secure that will prevent damage if software will has failed.

>> Maybe can give comments on that

It is look like the Loki Robo is processing signal from different sensors for localization.

His author says:

dshinsel007> Oh, he can go faster... but 40 lbs of robot hitting a wall at full speed makes my wife unhappy. :-)

Actually, the biggest limit is how quickly he can process all the sensor inputs for tracking his location and obstacle avoidance. I'm working on optimizing that.

===
But in my case are available only the images from camera for robot navigation and there are no any other sensors for additional information.

What if I'm selling my robotics product? [3]

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 01:02:24 EST

Loren,

Thanks for the feedback! We're happy that you find RoboRealm to be a useful tool.

In your case with the NINA robot what you are asking for is to become a reseller of the RoboRealm software package which is a bit different than using it within a commercial setting like a factory.

There is some additional paperwork that needs to be done for this to happen and I can forward those to you directly.

If you could use our contact form and include your email we can get that out to you asap. It will outline the costs involved to better help you make a decision.

Cheers,
STeven.

Now AVM is working faster [25]

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 01:02:36 EST

Yes, once it is done i will share my robot. Anyway i am building humanoid. I would prefer te camera on the height of 1.3 m.

Would that be possible to place it on the 1.3 m height and navigate it. Shoult it still be posiion parallel .

2. Here i saw a very smooth robot navigation with mapping. I am not too sure if it uses encoder , sensors and digital compass and pre programmed in matrix form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxlHr75BJAw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Maybe can give comments on that

Multiple SSC-32 modules in [4]

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 14:02:33 EST

STeven,

Thanks for your reply.  Now my other question may be trivial but since I don't currently have 4 of these SSC boards on hand yet, I'm assuming I'll have to create a separate module for each board in the pipeline?

Also while I was browsing through other available modules related to SSC control, I notice there was one for the Pololu 8 Channel servo controller.  If I decided to go with the Pololu 24 Channel controller how would I set up the Pololu module?  It seems to me that this module was only setup to use multiple 8 Channel servo controllers.  If not, how would I go about setting it up for multiple 24 Channel servo controllers?

Due to the amount of servos I need to control I would like to use a 1D array
to manage their values in the VBScript module(ex. servo(1)=0, servo(2)=255, servo(3)=0,... servo(100)=255 ) Is it possible then to use  "servo(1)" as the variable for channel 1, "servo(2)" as the variable for channel 2,..... in the Lynxmotion SSC-32 module (see attached pic)

Thanks,

-Jape-

Now AVM is working faster [24]

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 06:02:02 EST

I just assembled my new rover for AVM Navigator project and I plan to improve motion control algorithm that will provide less jerks and stops in robot motion process when robot go to target position.

>> I wish the straight movement can be further improved and i wonder as avm on marker mode it stores matrix of images, but how we able to verify i the images we capture are of good images.

You already can see captured marks in �Marker mode� if you set checkbox �Show/Marks� in AVM Navigator dialog window.

>> One more things i noticed is the map does not correspondingly create real path

You are right, visual odometry algorithm of AVM Navigator is not perfect yet but any other visual odometry algorithm also has errors during working but "Navigation by map" based on image recognition and it provides possibility to get the same coordinates in the same waypoints of route (the robot sees images/markers that correspond to specified location). So, robot can travel from start point to target position of route successfully even if the map does not correspondingly create real path.

If you have your own robot model and can connect it to AVM Navigator then it would be great help if you could share your experiment results with AVM Navigator. It would help me in further developing.

Now AVM is working faster [23]

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 05:02:09 EST

Hi, i dont get it what you mean by depending on algorithm. You Mean if i dont want the robot to pause & keep moving straight, is algorithm changeable ?. As you mentioned the caused
Of pause is due to the vbscript NV_L_MOTOR = 0 and NV_R_MOTOR = 100 .

I wish the straight movement can be further improved and i wonder as avm on marker mode it stores matri of images, but how we able to verify i the images we capture are of good images . I think by trial run the robot ita very ineffecient. So it would be good to have estimation like how well the ribot can executes the movemen on the map.

One more things i noticed is the map does not correspondingly create real path, as the robot straight and veer to right, it tends to give me abias to the right after i return the robot to straight motion.
After that on the map it showing veer to right. So when we navugate by map, the execution will be not followed real path.

Now AVM is working faster [22]

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 03:02:10 EST

I use in my experiments: Logitech HD Webcam C270 and 3Q NetTop Qoo (Intel Atom 230 1600Mhz) for images processing by AVM Navigator.

I think that continuous motion of my robot is possible but it required some changes in robot motion control algorithm.

For example now AVM Navigator sets values of control variables to NV_L_MOTOR = 0 and NV_R_MOTOR = 100 if it needed the turning to the left side without taking into consideration of previous motion history and it cause to stopping on turn commands.

I will try to develop more convenient motion control algorithm for such rover platform that now I have ;-)

What if I'm selling my robotics product? [2]

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 02:02:40 EST

Hello.

First of all, I'm very grateful for this piece of software. I used to own it when it was free, and though you now have to pay for it, I think the developers are more than entitled to compensation for offering the public this tool to develop vision based robotics. The fee itself, is affordable too, even for a commercial use--particularly if you own a small business like I do and are on a budget. Thank you so very much.

Over the past years that I've used the software, I was impressed and intrigued by the features and the ease of use. Now that I'm able to use a trial version of the latest rendition, it's better than ever and has exceeded my requirements for my robotics projects. I would like to purchase a commercial license for my robotics project, NINA, as people in the autism community are interested in purchasing my robot. I'm currently developing a commercial line.

Now, technically, if I'm using roborealm commercially, the examples I've read include operations in a factory or whatnot (at least that's what I want to say). If I'm selling my robot to others, does the commercial license allow for packaging the vision program into the robot's main controller? Will I have to purchase a commercial license for each sold robot?

I would just like to know ahead of time so I can figure out what my costs will be and adjust my price for a NINA robot.

Thanks again. Loren John Presley

Now AVM is working faster [21]

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 21:02:03 EST

Wow i can say within 20 cm the
Accuracy of the final
Destination. May i kbow your camerq
Spec?. Are u using Logitech.

Observed the robot moved slowly by pause to adjusting left and right. Is it what you have dobe on the manual mode as you cant keep your robOt straight all the time. I would like to know if you could possibly make te robot continously straight ?.

Roboteq Module? [2]

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 12:02:44 EST

I was wondering when and if a Roboteq Module will be created? I have read other form posts asking for people to contact Roboteq and release information needed to make a module...what information is needed from them?

Here is a link to their manuals and API

http://www.roboteq.com/tech-support/manuals-and-software

Now AVM is working faster [20]

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:02:30 EST

It is a testing of new robot for AVM Navigator project:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3u0rTNBCuA

RR is not free! [22]

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 06:02:38 EST

Does nobody remember what the last version version number is that corresponded to a free version? I would think SOMEBODY would remember that.

RR is not free! [21]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 23:02:50 EST

The latest version has things you'll want to use like Object Recognition. Take your energy and post a useful project using RoboRealm on YouTube. Steven has already explained how anyone can qualify for a current copy of Robo Realm by posting an approved project. NO ONE has taken advantage of this yet!

RR is not free! [20]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 23:02:47 EST

What I think is unfair is that the product HAD BEEN free before, and now it has CHANGED to be commercial software. I'd have no problem with if it was commercial software to begin with.

Also, I have what I BELIEVE to be the last free version of RR on my own computer, but I'm not sure. I hope someone knows what the last free version of RR is, so I can see if it is indeed my version. If not, I'll google it, as SOMEONE on the net probably has a download link for it on their own server even. But to execute the Google search I'll need to know the version number of the last free version of RR.

RR is not free! [19]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 12:02:55 EST

Or you know, instead of whining on an internet forum like an indignant child, you could just pay $49.95 for it.

Let me put it this way. A qualified programmer would bill out at $50-100/hour for contract work. They could not even write out a broad project scope in an hour.

Even if you yourself had the skill to write such a program, would the hundreds of hours it would take justify saving $50?

You obviously like the software, why is it so hard for you to justify supporting it's developer?

RR is not free! [18]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 12:02:24 EST

Problem is for every payed thing, there is a free thing.
For Photoshop, you have Gimp as a free replacement.
For Microsoft Quickbasic, yo have QB64 as a free replacement (in fact its interface is identical to Quickbasic).
For MS Office, you have Open Office as a free replacement.

For NI Machine vision, You USED TO have Roborealm as a free replacement. But NO MORE!

I have checked continuously on the net since Roborealm stopped being free, for a free replacement for NI Machine Vision (and now also Roborealm), but there is as of yet NO SOFTWARE trying to fill this role! That destroys the balance of things, because previously for every commercial software there WAS a free equivalent, but now with Roborealm no longer free, there is a VOID in the software world under the category of "Free Machine Vision Software". Sure you have libraries for machine vision that are free, but that's NOT "free machine vision software", it is just a library that allows you to (in conjunction with a programming language such as C) to MAKE machine vision software, but it is not in itself free machine vision software., Without Roborealm being free, there is now NO currently existing software that can trully be called "free machine vision software". That has left a MAJOR GAP in the software world.

If anybody on these forums is willing to try to fix that by making and distributing their own "free machine vision software" (basically filling the role that was at one point filled by Roborealm) I would love to see that. That would once again put a natural "zen" balance back into the software world.

MSRDS 4 beta2 is not working with Roborealm [2]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 11:02:45 EST

I tried a lot...but i was not able to interface MSRDS4 beta2(latest version) with roborealm.....i used MSRS 2008_R3 to configure it...but still it dint work
however, when I run bin\\dsshost /p:50000 /t:50001 /m:"Config\\Interface.manifest.xml", I get the following errors...

** Error creating service. Service type:http://www.roborealm.com/2008/12/interface.html [11/05/2010 11:32:59][http://midlap165.zygo.com:50000/constructor]
*** Service creation failure most common reason:
- Service contract identifier in manifest or Create request does not match Contract.Identifier
- Service references a different version of runtime assemblies
* Manifest load complete

I'm using Windows ultimate 64bit OS and Visual Studio 2010 ultimate?doesnt roborealm support 64bit OS?
please help me out in interfacing MSRDS and Roborealm!!!
Thanks in Advance...!!!

Kinect - Skeleton tracking [3]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 06:02:34 EST

Hi,

Is there a way to get skeleton tracking done using the microsoft SDK and export it into roborealm as a virtual camera feed?

Thanks
Pranav

I got a great idea [4]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 06:02:48 EST

What about a pay-per-click system where you get payed for every time some someone clicks the download link, such as the AdFly system?

RR is not free! [17]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 04:02:57 EST

Its Okay charged for something you do. 49$ is nothing compared with other Vision Software. The developer (Steven) will put more effort to do and give a better support. Be not miserable

That's right Steven.

I got a great idea [3]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 02:02:12 EST

Been there, done that, didn't work! We just disabled ads as we transitioned from 2011 to 2012. Wouldn't even pay for lunch!

STeven.

I got a great idea [2]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 01:02:18 EST

How about using ad-banners on your site to make money, and use an AdFly link for the roborealm download link (it pays the link poster for every time someone clicks it to download the file). That way you could again offer RR for free, or at the very least, further reduce the price.

Free grandfathering into new roborealm? [5]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 01:02:16 EST

If you do have a copy you can send it to my email address videogamer555@gmail.com

Free grandfathering into new roborealm? [4]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 01:02:48 EST

I believe I have a free version that is not the last available free version, but one that's several versions before that. I've found no other place online to download the last available free version. Do you still have a copy you could send me in an email attachment?

Face Matching [9]

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:02:24 EST

Hi EDV,

once again thanks for reply.

I will create a procedure as mentioned by you .

I will reply you back.

RR is not free! [16]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 21:02:30 EST

The amount of crying and unfounded sense of entitlement in this thread is unbelievable. Shame on you people.

python GetArrayVariable problem [4]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 19:02:28 EST

Oh, okay.

That should be easy to do, then. Thanks!

Counting chub packages in case [3]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 19:02:59 EST

Bob,

Hmm, you do have a tough task. It seems that focusing on the tips is the right way to go. It would require some additional thinking on how to distinguish from the tips versus the other white parts. Size comes close to eliminating those extra white areas but doesn't quite do the job.

Are you able to modfiy the environment at all?

Using the Kinect would probably get the job done since the tips would be a different height and could be isolated quite easily (at least we think they could).

STeven.

Vision based commands [6]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 19:02:59 EST

Dave,

Just a clarification .. the fiducial database would be on a PC instead of the MCU ... which most likely may not have enough room to keep that on it anyhow. Typically the sequence is Camera -> PC -> MCU with the PC doing the vision processing and sending a final move command to the MCU over something like serial.

If you really want to remove the PC from the mix you'd be looking at something like a BeagleBone board which is capable of doing some vision processing but you'd then be programming that using a much lower level system than RR. RR does not yet run on the BeagleBone board.

Naturally there are many other boards then the one mentioned above that can do a similar task ... that one just happened to be in mind.

STeven.

Will Robo Realm work for this? [3]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 19:02:17 EST

Krysta,

That will depend on what you are using to record the movements. RR itself can control and perhaps read position information from some servos but you are probably better off with an application that specializes in recording and playing back servo movements ... also know as a servo sequencing program. The 3d or 2d nature doesn't have much to do with this as a single servo can be thought of as a 1d device and 3 as a 3d device ... but that's a somewhat strange way to think about servos. What you are looking for is a sequencing application that has at least 3 servo channels ... typically these types of applications will get up into the 100's!

STeven.

Kinect, Python Programing, and More [3]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 19:02:25 EST

Paul,

Cropping: Yes, see the Crop module

http://www.roborealm.com/help/Crop.php

Note that you can use something like

[COG_X-10]
[COG_X+10]
[COG_Y-10]
[COG_Y+10]

in the start and end boxes (literal as typed above) as those fields are processed and interpreted [] signal it as an expression. See

http://www.roborealm.com/help/Expressions.php

Python: Try

cogX = rr.GetVariable("COG_X")

that's what that

import rr

is for. The rr object is needed to access all the internal RR functions.

Exporting Text: You could also try using the

If_statement

module to surround a

PlayWav

module and get that to work right in RR ...

Your external python script seems right assuming that newlines got added into the file.

STeven.

python GetArrayVariable problem [3]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 18:02:42 EST

Loren,

You use the same function for an array (this differs from the internal Python module). What you get back is the array as a single string of all entries separated by commas. You'd need to split or break the array based on a comma in order to gain access to an individual element. Its done this way to ensure that non-binary types of languages can also access arrays.

Or did you try this and get something weird back for NV_ARRAY_OBJ_IDX?

STeven.

Robo Realm Problem [14]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:02:14 EST

Well it's works waaaay better on my laptop for some reason -_-

Interfacing with TwinCAT [6]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:02:48 EST

Keith,

Looks good! The API is probably the way to go with this ... The socket module could be used to send variables to an app but you'd have to create your own protocol (language) to communicate with that application. So using the API within your own development environment may be easier to work with for most programmers.

The socket module was really made to send very basic information (one or two variables) to a custom created receiver server that just functions to accept a single of few values.

STeven.

Normalize Vs Equalize [3]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:02:00 EST

They both produce similar results but use different techniques. The normalize is quite simple, it looks for the maximum intensity pixel (we will use a grayscale example here) and a minimum intensity and then will determine a factor that scales the min intensity to black and the max intensity to white. This is applied to every pixel in the image which produces the final result.

The equalize will attempt to produce a histogram with equal amounts of pixels in each intensity level. This can produce unrealistic images since the intensities can be radically distorted but can also produce images very similar to normalization which preserves relative levels which the equalization process does not.

So if you are concerned about keep an image realistic then use normalization, but if you want a more even distribution of intensity levels then equalize can help with that.

STeven.

Multiple SSC-32 modules in [3]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:02:46 EST

Jape,

Seems like this should work. Based on their documentation you'd get 4 additional virtual serial ports ... which we normally get with a single usb to serial cable. Given that you can select the COM port in the SSC module should work fine with that.

Note that the only issue may be that the COM ports may change if you unplug that cable or change something on the computer. If that happens let us know and we'll see what we can do about that.

STeven.

Robo Realm Problem [13]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 12:02:49 EST

Wow, nice machine! I guess this issue doesn't have anything to do with the CPU speed! I assume this is a desktop or laptop?

By your last comment you are now seeing the problem less frequently but it still happens once in a while? Or how would you characterize the error?

While we had duplicated a similar effect and have that fixed on our side we will continue to test on other machines till we can once again see an issue.

Thanks,
STeven.

Face Matching [8]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 10:02:56 EST

>> But can we train the objects in RcgExample2.exe?

You should develop procedure "Learn object" with user interface like in AVM Navigator.

From �Library AVM SDK simple.NET� description:

What you need for training?

1. Create an instance of AVM: _am = new CvAssociativeMemory32S ();
2. Initialize the instance (methods: Create, Load, or ReadPackedData): _am.Load (cRcgDataFileName);
3. Set the image for processing: _am.SetImage (ref aSrcImage);
4. Write the new image to the AVM search tree: _am.Write (InterestArea, ObjIndex, true).

From example file "AVM_SDK_simple.net\\samples\\RcgExample1\\MainForm.cs":

            _am.SetImage(ref aPicDisplay);

            Rectangle InterestArea = new Rectangle();
            InterestArea.X = 84;
            InterestArea.Y = 38;
            InterestArea.Width = 80;
            InterestArea.Height = 80;
            ...

                if (_TrainingLoop != 0)
                {
                    // Training
                    int wObjIndex = cObjMaxNum;// <= Actual index of training object
                    _am.Write(InterestArea, wObjIndex, true);

                    DisplayGraphics.DrawRectangle(new Pen(Color.Red, 2), InterestArea);
                    _TrainingLoop--;
                }

Robots' Intellect 2012 [2]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:02:59 EST

Dear colleagues,

We are writing you on behalf of Student Science Association of Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania). We would like to invite you to participate in the international contest of robots "Robots' Intellect 2012". The event is being organized the second time in the Baltic States. This year contest will be held on May 3rd, 2012 in Kaunas University of Technology campus. The goal of this competition is to motivate young people to take interest in high technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and other current topical areas of science and technology, as well as to try their personal skills and knowledge in creating their own robots.

In 2011 no one won the jackpot "The Golden Sack" filled with 9000 Euros, so it was left to grow and wait for the competitors of 2012. MINI gold back is 500 Euros. The main task remains the same as the last year: a robot must find the golden sack on the special track with obstacles and fetch it to the start line. What is more, robots will have a chance to compete in other tasks, such as line tracking, labyrinth and others.

Also, during this event, there will be robots' exhibition, in which anyone, who has a robot, even the simplest one, can participate.

If you are interested, don't hesitate and register for this competition.

For more information please visit our website www.robotsintellect.lt.

Contact us if you have any questions, it will be our pleasure to answer.

We are looking forward to seeing you in the competition "Robots' Intelligence 2012", May 3rd, 2012.

Yours sincerely,
Student Science Association of Kaunas University of Technology

www.robotsintellect.lt
smd@ktu.lt

Robo Realm Problem [12]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 06:02:46 EST

Either way though, I updated and it worked the first time and now it decides when it wants to work.

Robo Realm Problem [11]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:02:57 EST

I am running it on a quad 3.6 OC'd to 4.2 GHz processor, with 16 GB's of 1600 MHz RAM, with a 512 GB SSD, and Dual SLI Nvidia 560 Ti's, and watercooling. It's not my machine.

Interfacing with TwinCAT [5]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:02:16 EST

Hi All,

I have managed to communicate Variables from RoboRealm to TwinCAT 2. My solution is an unconventional but simple transferring of data with C# as the middle man.

(API) (ADS)
RoboRealm ------------> C# -------------> TwinCAT 2

Any one keen on trying this out, i have attached my simple example with instruction.

The C# document could be improved so anyone kind enough please feel free to improve on it and upload it here :) thanks

PS: RoboRealm is a fantastic Program - cheers

RoboRealm to TwinCAT 2012-2-2 v5.zip

Face Matching [7]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 04:02:09 EST

Hi EDV,

i have done as mentioned by you in above reply , it is working fine.

But can we train the objects in RcgExample2.exe.

if not then can we add that feature in RcgExample2.exe also.

python GetArrayVariable problem [2]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 04:02:42 EST

Hello.

I'm having trouble using the rr.GetArrayVariable() function the python API for roborealm. Not the python program in the pipeline. I'm using the API.

It looks like there is no rr.GetArrayVariable() function in the API examples. Can it be added please? I need it to retrieve the NV_ARRAY_OBJ_IDX variable from the AVM Navigator which is in the pipeline.

Many thanks for your support.

Robo Realm Problem [10]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 03:02:20 EST

Matt,

Ok, I think we have another solution. Try downloading 2.44.5 which has more checks in for image formatting errors. It appears that on slow machines they are not quite able to keep up with the data throughput from the Kinect and will cause sections of the image to go missing. This new version will ignore those incomplete frames ... so you will notice a fps reduction if more errors are being ignored.

For example, a netbook at we saw the issue on was getting 25 fps on AC power with 640x480 on both RGB and Depth. Removing the AC cord reduced the fps to 15!!

While we are not 100% if the issue is CPU speed or actual power distribution to the Kinect I'd recommend wiring an external power supply to the netbook to keep the CPU happen ... or see if you can find battery settings that do not reduce the CPU speed. Either way the newest version should help to clean up your issue quite a bit.

Cheers,
STeven.

Face Matching [6]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 02:02:22 EST

You also can use AVM Navigator as tool for learning of objects with further exporting of AVM object data to "Library AVM SDK simple.NET".

You should just train AVM Navigator on some objects (in "Object recognition" mode) further close RoboRealm application and then copy file "avm.dat" to ".\\AVM_SDK_simple.net\\bin\\" directory. This file is located in user folder (for example: "C:\\Documents and Settings\\user\\AVM\\avm.dat").

Now you can start ".\\AVM_SDK_simple.net\\bin\\RcgExample2.exe" and select capture device from dialog window and show learned objects in front of your camera. It will be recognized as well as in AVM Navigator.

Face Matching [5]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 01:02:39 EST

You can use RoboRealm API ( http://www.roborealm.com/downloads/API.zip ) for connection of your C# (CSharp) application to AVM Navigator module.

See "RoboRealm Server API" for more details:
http://www.roborealm.com/help/API.php

If you decide to use �Library AVM SDK simple.NET� yet then there is an example in http://edv-detail.narod.ru/AVM_SDK_simple-net.zip archive (.\\AVM_SDK_simple.net\\samples\\RcgExample1\\RcgExample1.csproj) that shows how to use AVM for training and recognition of an object.

My e-mail: mail.for.edv (AT) gmail.com

Robo Realm Problem [9]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 01:02:35 EST

Matt,

We've managed to replicate your issue (phew!). This is going to sound a little strange but try your setup on AC power and then just on battery. We are theorizing that the Kinect requires quite a bit of power in order to function correctly ... which when on battery mode (on some machines) may not be getting enough juice to function through the USB port.

Also, watch your CPU utilization and see if that changes when on AC and on battery when running the Kinect. We notice quite a jump when moving from AC to battery ... so this may also be a CPU power (in terms of number of calculations) which typically is also reduced when on battery mode.

If your experience is similar to what we are seeing then at least we know where the problem exists and have a better idea on how to fix that.

STeven.

Robrealm Crashes every time [5]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 00:02:40 EST

William,

Ideally it would show the same name as AmCap which I assume it doesn't.

What camera are you using?

Also be sure to have tried restarting RR at least once in case the previous crash told RR to startup in a safe mode (i.e. no webcam attachment).

STeven.

Robrealm Crashes every time [4]

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 00:02:06 EST

Thanks for the quick reply.
After the re-downloading and installing the crashing problem is fixed.However am still unable to access the webcam.
It just shows a black screen.In options there is only 1 option WDM image capture.Even after selecting it...there is no cam input.

Face Matching [4]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 23:02:49 EST

Hi EDV,

thanks for your fast reply.

i want some more information regarding AVM.

I don't have more knowledge about VBScript.I am developing application in C#.net.

I have seen the your SDK of AVM at below link:

http://edv-detail.narod.ru/Library_AVM_SDK_simple_NET.html

I want to know can we use this SDk to learn,train and track objects as shown in AVM Plugin of RR.

can you please give me your email id.

Free grandfathering into new roborealm? [3]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 23:02:17 EST

Hi,

Paid customers get a year of upgrades (it is not indefinite) from date of purchase.

We do have an upgrade for previous paid users for another year of upgrades at a reduced price.

We do NOT have a upgrade from the free version to the paid version as anyone can download the free version (that was 2+ years ago) for free ...

As the real reason for your question is how to get RoboRealm for free, we can extend the offer we had going for years which NOONE took advantage of which was to create a unique (i.e. not already existing) tutorial video/slideshow/etc. using RoboRealm and post it on YouTube, Instructables,etc. and we'll donate a free copy of the current license (with a year of free upgrades too!).

You'll have to contact us using the contact form with your proposed topic to ensure that it is appropriate.

Again, noone took advantage of this and we removed it from the site due to lack of response.

And, of course, you are welcome to continue using the free copy.

STeven.

Multiple SSC-32 modules in [2]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 20:02:13 EST

I�m currently working on a project that would require 100+ servos (a lot I know!!!) and was wondering if it was possible to use 4 X Lynxmotion SSC-32 modules at once? My plan is to use a USB Quad Serial Adapter (http://sewelldirect.com/usbquadserialadapter.asp) to add additional ports to my computer to run all 4 modules. Do you think this is possible?

Robo Realm Problem [8]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 20:02:44 EST

I have tried all combinations and this is what I am still getting.

speed data [2]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 16:02:07 EST

Hi STeven,

The NMEA protocal also provides speed data. I dont see this in the GPS reader module. Is it possible to extract this data?

RR is not free! [15]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 16:02:12 EST

However you are NOT entitled to start charging for a product which you previously did not charge for. You either have to sell a product from the get-go, or you have to live with the fact that your product is free and you won't be making money for it, because it is ILLEGAL to start charging for a product that previously was free.

If they wanted the general public to work on bug fixing it for free, or they wouldn't have called it free, but rather beta. I'm guessing they NEVER had planned to charge for it, but then later wished they had charged for it, so then GREEDILLY they started charging for it, which (as I stated in my above paragraph) is illegal.

And as a past user of Roborealm (not a brand new user who just discovered the software), I hope they will take that into consideration and rightfully give me a copy of the latest version for free.

Free grandfathering into new roborealm? [2]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 16:02:20 EST

I know customers of the payed version get free updates to any later version, but if I'm a previous "customer" (read as user) of the free version, do I get to upgrade to the payed version for free?

What I'm asking is, is the payment only needed if I'm a brand new user? Or do I still need to pay for the new version of the software even if I'm a user of the previous free version?

Normalize Vs Equalize [2]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 16:02:05 EST

Under the "histogram" menu What's the difference between equalize and normalize. Both seem to try stretch the image to fit the maximum possible range of brightness, and both seem to be able to work on the whole image, or on smaller portions thereof. But they results from equalize and normalize are visibly different. What are these filters actually doing? Can someone here explain?

Robo Realm Problem [7]

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 16:02:25 EST

It phases in and out.