RoboRealm Forum

Using DVR as input [3]

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:08:06 EDT

Ricardo,

Do you have the specific model number for that camera? Most of the internet cameras are not compatible with each other as they will use various Web technologies to show in a browser. With a specific version and model number we can see if we can find an example to test.

Or if you can make your camera available over the internet that would be a help too.

STeven.

Kondo robots with roborealm [5]

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:08:14 EDT

Wow, that's just cool! Nice work Atom, definately nice work!

Please keep us updated with any new progress, we're really interested in this line of development!

STeven.

Motion tracking Turet [4]

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:08:12 EDT

Shane,

Sounds like you have some ideas in mind. The parallax usb controller will work nicely. Question is what your pan/tilt system will look like. You should start simple with something that you can attain and then create more advanced capabilities as you succeed. So first try to replicate what others have done to get you started which will also ensure that you will get some help since others have already accomplished what you are trying. Then, add the more advanced capabilities once you've established a good foundation. Please feel free to post here with questions/updates on your progress!

STeven.

Functions [3]

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:08:18 EDT

jzman,

The best way is to investigate what function the vb.net example uses is to check the COM source code that the vb.net example uses. The is located in the COM folder in the download and in the file API_Wrapper.h file. I've posted them here for reference. Note that these are in C++ format but you should be able to determine the format in vb given these. Note that the "long *res" is the returned value of the function.

Connect(BSTR hostname, long *res);
Disconnect(long *res);
GetDimension(VARIANT *width, VARIANT *height, long *res);
GetImage(BSTR name, VARIANT *image, VARIANT *width, VARIANT *height, long *res);
SetImage(BSTR name, VARIANT *image, VARIANT *width, VARIANT *height);
GetVariable(BSTR name, BSTR *res);
SetVariable(BSTR name, BSTR value, long *res);
DeleteVariable(BSTR name, long *res);
Execute(BSTR str, long *res);
LoadProgram(BSTR value, long *res);
LoadImage(BSTR name, BSTR value, long *res);
SaveImage(BSTR name, BSTR value, long *res);
SetCamera(BSTR name, long *res);
Run(BSTR name, long *res);
WaitVariable(BSTR name, BSTR value, long timeout, long *res);
WaitImage(long *res);
Open(BSTR filename, VARIANT *port, long *res);
Close(long *res);
LoadPPM(BSTR filename, VARIANT *image, VARIANT *width, VARIANT *height, long *res);
SavePPM(BSTR filename, VARIANT *image, VARIANT *width, VARIANT *height, long *res);
GetVariables(BSTR name, VARIANT *res);
SetVariables(VARIANT *names, VARIANT *values, long *res);
SetParameter(BSTR module, VARIANT *count, BSTR name, BSTR value, long *res);
GetParameter(BSTR module, VARIANT *count, BSTR name, BSTR *res);
MinimizeWindow(long *res);
MaximizeWindow(long *res);
MoveWindow(VARIANT *x, VARIANT *y, long *res);
ResizeWindow(VARIANT *width, VARIANT *height, long *res);
PositionWindow(VARIANT *x, VARIANT *y, VARIANT *width, VARIANT *height, long *res);

Strange behavior of program running on NXT [6]

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:08:05 EDT

Mike,

We made a change to ensure that the motor values are not sent when no variable is set which should solve your issue. Can you download the latest version and try again?

Thanks,
STeven.

eye ball tracking and mouse interfacing [11]

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:08:38 EDT

tania,

Yes, lots of possibilities and module that might work. To make this easier can you upload two images one from the day and the other from the night for us to play with?

Thanks,
STeven.

Kondo robots with roborealm [3]

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:08:15 EDT

Atom,

Sorry .. no one that we know has interfaced with that controller board. Perhaps you can contact the vendor of the robot and let them know of your interest. We're always willing to integrate new controllers but need cooperation of the vendor in order to do so.

STeven.

Bug in Path Planning "plan orientation variable" [4]

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:08:46 EDT

Pranav,

a fix for this error has been uploaded to the site. Please download version 1.8.18.14 for the fix.

Thanks very much for the images and the robofile, that really helped to track down the error quickly!

STeven.

Bug in Path Planning "plan orientation variable" [3]

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:08:03 EDT

Pranav,

Thanks for the images and robofile. We have been able to replicate this issue. We will get back to you with a fix ASAP.

Thanks,
STeven.

Remote PTZ of Quick Cam [7]

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:08:42 EDT

NairB,

From our understanding his desire was to serve the video to the web from a different machine than the one the webcam is on. I.e. the webcam machine cannot be accessed via the web .. which is frequently the case due to firewalls, proxies, etc.

Or at least this is what we understood. :-)

STeven.

Remote PTZ of Quick Cam [4]

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:08:39 EDT

The second attached robofile below is for the client or the machine that you want to use to connect the web browser to. Load in the robofile into that RoboRealm and ensure that the webserver is enabled. Note that you will have to configure the distributor client with the correct IP/hostname of the computer attached to the camera.

That should do it.

STeven.

Remote PTZ of Quick Cam [3]

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:08:27 EDT

Joel,

Yes, you can use the Distributor Server and Distributor Client to split where the images get served to the web and the machine that is connected to the webcam.

To test this out you will need two machines (the follow will NOT run on the same machine) with RoboRealm running. Then on the machine that has the camera (assuming the orbit here) load in the following attached robofile. This is where the server is created and will send images/variables out to other RR applications.

eye ball tracking and mouse interfacing [9]

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:08:44 EDT

Tania,

The above script is not correct. You are getting the circles array and then not using it. We have corrected the script in the attached robofile including those items we have mentioned before which you did not add into the script. Please note that if you do not understand what we post please ask questions specific to that post. Did you not understand the script that we posted in an earlier post?

At any rate, the robofile below show produce the correct c1 and c2 values in detecting a circle. However, we do not think that it is correct in function as the circle threshold values that you set are 65 and 75 which means that a circle needs to be 65 to 75 pixels in diameter in order for it to be detected ... not sure what image you are using but this might be a little restrictive.

Also note that the mouse coordinates can range from 0-800 and 0-600 pixels in an 800x600 screen whereas most webcams have a 320x240 resolution which means that the eye movement will not be able to cover the entire screen. You might want to experiment around with a factor that you multiply c1 and c2 by in order to convert from webcam image size to actual screen size ... naturally you will also lose some precision in doing this but at least your eye movements will be able to cover the entire screen.

What camera setup are you using? Do you have a camera attached to a head mounted system? The reason for the question is one of calibration, i.e. if the persons head moves the mouse cursor might also move unless the camera is mounted relative to the persons head.

STeven.

some troubleshootin [12]

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:08:20 EDT

Saikumar,

You're on the right track. You will have to use a recursive routine that checks each neighborhood in a recursive manner in a breadth first technique. This basically means you should check each neighbor to see if they are the best solution before exploring each neighbor. If you explore each neighbor first before checking to see if any of them are the solution that would be a depth first search which is not an optimal solution (although it will probably find a solution). Note that the breadth first search will require a lot more memory than the depth first search as you will need to record the paths as they get created. If you have a look at breath first searches on the internet you can probably find sites that explain better how such a solution would work.

Good luck!

STeven.

eye ball tracking and mouse interfacing [7]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:08:32 EDT

You would get an error when no circles are detected. In VBScript you have to check the type of the variable before assuming that it is an array. For example:

circles = GetArrayVariable("CIRCLES")

if isArray(circles) then
  if ubound(circles) >=1 then

    write circles(0) & ":" & circles(1)

  end if
end if

should do the trick.

expected statement - normally means you are missing a keyword .. such as the "then" at the end of an if statement ... but is NOT an error just for an if statement but a more generic "something is missing" error.

STeven.

Image Count [7]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:08:05 EDT

It will not change ... that's the point cause you want to compare it to the current time specified by Timer()

state_timer is a snapshot (a bookmark) in time that you can compare the current time too.

if GetVariable("state_timer") = "0" then

is used to initialize the state_timer variable.

Be sure to have a look through other posts in the forum for these kinds of examples ... this is a common topic that comes up.

Note that the provided code is a skeleton on which to continue your experiments ... it will not do anything as is but is merely and example on how to create state based transitions when you are inside a loop.

STeven.

Networked RR Servers [6]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:08:36 EDT

Hi Bob,

Yes, we had been doing some research into face detection not unlike what OpenCV does (note that the eigen value technique used in Leaf is for face recognition which is a process after face detection). We thought that face detection would be an easy process as OpenCV appeared to be doing it quite reliably and others in the research literature also claimed to be quite successful in face detection (we will leave out any discussion of face recognition as detection is normally a pre-requisite for recognition) but after testing some of the techniques out we were somewhat disappointed with their performance (you have evidently reached a similar conclusion).

But it turns out that reliable face detection is a very difficult problem when the background is not determined, when the faces are not necessarily frontal or when the faces are not oriented at 90 degrees and you want to be able to detect faces at around 20fps ... which were some of the requirements we were attempting to forgo. So, unfortunately, research and experimentation continues but there is no estimated time for completion and with other more basic robotic issues like navigation taking precedent it is unlikely that the face detection module will be out anytime this year. This does not mean that a face detection and recognition module will not appear for RoboRealm but does mean that it will not be anytime in the next 4 months.

Thanks for your query!
STeven.

About "Reading Digital Displays" Tutorial [5]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:08:06 EDT

Sam,

Unfortunately the answer to all your questions is "It depends".

Thanks for the example as that helps to lay out the project requirements and limitations that are being worked with. The first thing I'd try is to see what the image looks like when taking a picture of the computer screen. Cameras get very funky when pointed at an LCD or CRT screen so the image may or may not be usable. That would be the first step.

The next question would be based on the first step which is can you control what is being displayed on the screen? The reason for this is that if the image is not detailed enough then you will not be able to read any of the numbers in the image. But if you can restructure the page being displayed to show the numbers in nice big bold text that might help with the processing of that image. From your example this would require a script on the display machine to read in the RR forum page, process it for all the viewing numbers and then simply print those numbers nice and large on the screen using whatever display mechanism (could also be a simple HTML page) for the second computer to see. Known if this can be done really changes the type of solution that you'd want to use.

Perhaps you can elaborate on the two questions above before we continue with the processing ... and if you can include an image or two that always goes a long way to helping the project make progress!

STeven.

Stereo Vision for localization [7]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:08:12 EDT

Try a quick experiment by placing your robot in the yard and take a picture (either with a webcam or a normal digital camera) of the yard and post it here. There are a couple ways to detect the robot in the yard. It gets easier if your robot is a certain color like red that could be detected ... or if it has a combination of colors or a black and white bar code or perhaps a beacon of some sort. Or you could also use an image differencing technique assuming the camera is stable and nothing else would be in the yard (do you have a cat or dog?).

Having a couple of test images helps to clarify which technique would be best ...

STeven.

eye ball tracking and mouse interfacing [5]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:08:41 EDT

Tania,

The circle module can create a CIRCLES array that contains a lot of information about detected circles including the center of the circle.

Have a look at

http://www.roborealm.com/forum/index.php?thread_id=984#1

for more information.

STeven.

Stereo Vision for localization [5]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:08:48 EDT

That's probably a better question for the camera manufacturers as they would understand better how their cameras act in sunlight. We mainly have webcams that don't have any specs that would report these issues. What vendor are you thinking of? Are you looking into just webcams or other cameras from vendors like http://www.theimagingsource.com/ or http://www.supercircuits.com/

If anyone else here has experience with outside cameras please post examples here.

STeven.

eye ball tracking and mouse interfacing [3]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:08:59 EDT

Tania,

Most likely you'd be doing some sort of edge detection followed by circle detection. Hard to say without actually seeing an example image. Do you have one from your setup? Note that the camera will have to be very near (or have really good zoom) in order to capture the pupil of the eye.

About "Reading Digital Displays" Tutorial [3]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:08:39 EDT

SamQ,

It would probably require the last step (the VBScript) to understand that there would be more than one set of digits to read. You could also just filter the digits into separate sets of digits to be processed once at a time.

Perhaps you have an example that you can share?

STeven.

some troubleshootin [10]

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:08:00 EDT

Saikumar,

Please also be sure to download the latest version 1.8.18.13 which includes an update to the pixelate module that is required by the above robofile.

STeven.

Stereo Vision for localization [3]

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:08:29 EDT

RoboRealm should be easily able to handle 2 webcams given that the CPU is ok in handling that amount of data from two cams. Memory is not normally an issue .. anything above 64M should be fine. The CPU is the issue ... faster and more cores is always better. I'd recommend getting the best you can for the amount that you can spend. This is simply from the fact that once you accomplish the simple things you'd want to move onto the more complex such as dense optical or stereo which will really require a high CPU and multi-core system.

Webcams outside can cause issues with streaking and color loss due to the sunlight. For example the images in

http://www.roborealm.com/forum/index.php?thread_id=2674#2

show one such issue. It will depend on what you're trying to accomplish and may require some experimentation with different cameras to see which one functions best. Some cameras are better than others with sunlight but may appear worse in quality indoors. If you can, collect a couple cameras and test to see on a sunny and cloudy day which one works best. There are some ways to correct for such issues in software but fixing them first in hardware is normally the fastest and best way to go if possible.

With webcams and USB connections you should not need a framegrabber ... if you chose to go with NTSC cameras (which may perform better outsite) then you would need a framegrabber to convert NTSC into computer bits.

Let us know how your project goes!

STeven.

Laptop on Robot [3]

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:08:43 EDT

Yes, we have the $300 version. The memory is fine (RR can run full speed on a lot less) but the CPU might become the issue depending on what you want to do. For basic color tracking it is probably ok, but for using 2 webcams probably NOT. I'd recommend spending the amount on a cheap laptop with a dual core CPU that can keep up with more demanding vision tasks. Since your base is a wheelchair you don't seem to have a space/weight issue.

STeven.

Image Count [5]

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:08:13 EDT

Ay,

You can use the VBScript Timer function to check when you want to transition into a new "state". Something along the lines of

if GetVariable("state_timer") = "0" then
  SetVariable "state_timer", Timer()
end if

state = GetVariable("state")

select case state
  case 0:
    if (Timer() - GetVariable("state_timer")) > 10 then
      SetVariable "state", 1
    else
      ' perhaps set other things while waiting for the next state
    end if
  case 1:
  ' next state
end select

Since you are already in a "loop" in the VBscript you just need to know when to transition onto the next state based on the time. This state dictates what you do in each execution.

STeven.

some troubleshootin [9]

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:08:53 EDT

Saikumar,

The image really helps ... we always recommend others to first start with images rather than a description as it lets us understand what you are trying to accomplish. In your case we would take a completely different approach. The attached robofile shows that route.

Basically you want to transform the circles into a simplistic 2x2 array that you can assign weights to and then traverse looking for the optimal path. The transformation process requires the pixelate module and color quantization to create a simple array that contains a specific number for each color.

Rather than explain every step in detail please analyse the included robofile and try to understand this approach. Since this project is most likely for a class we are going to leave the final steps for you to accomplish which should be relatively easy as the included robofile includes all the steps up to creating the weights array which includes a # for each color. What is left is for you to write the search routine for the best path given the colors. Look into breadth first search to accomplish this.

To see the final image you will have to zoom the image up as much as possible since the final image is a 8x8 image. Also note the final weights array starts from bottom left.

STeven.

Keyboard Issues - Using RR [14]

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:08:53 EDT

That's great! Good to hear its working. Thanks for the reply!

We'll see how we can update the documentation to reflect that control hierarchy.

STeven.

Modbus communication [3]

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:08:09 EDT

Willie,

The easiest way is to add RR to your startup folder. We do have a todo item to create RoboRealm as a service but currently the interface is required as part of the program operation.

You should be able to run multiple instances of RoboRealm assuming that you have selected the Options->Startup->Allow multiple instances checkbox be checked. You can then run as many RR instances as you want ... but keep in mind that only one can connect to a single camera at once ... unless you use the virtual camera to split that stream.

The Modbus interface is making progress and we are currently reviewing if to add the serial part of it. The GUI interface is almost done as it will allow for variable mapping to any table/location. We'll let you know when its ready for testing.

:-)

STeven.

Keyboard Issues - Using RR [12]

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:08:11 EDT

Les,

Sorry ... we didn't mention that you need to download the latest version of RR which should fix the negative value problem ... we noticed that in the last version and made a fix but didn't make a note of it.

STeven.

Roborealm can't connect with boe-bot (serial port) [11]

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:08:59 EDT

Edward,

I'd recommend trying to reduce the complexity of the VBScript part and determine what part is doing what. Keep in mind that this script was taken from a motor system that required apposing values on both motors to move forward ... this is not the case with the boebot where two equal values will move it forward. At this point you will have to experiment with the system to determine what you want to do.

We noticed that the current VBScript has been reverted back to the old one as apposed to our simplified version. Thus this is a good time to start experimenting by removing parts of the file that you don't think you need and once you understand what is happening start to add back in the parts to perform certain movements.

STeven.

Sending variables to other processes [3]

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:08:24 EDT

Mark,

There are many options. If you look at

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

you can find the technique you would be most comfortable with. Using the API is normally what most people go for. There are examples in the download example API.zip at

http://www.roborealm.com/downloads/API.zip

and you should be able to figure out the C++ example (which can be adapted to a C program) to get a variable. The API is quite simple with the most complex part being the socket open. Using the API and get_variable xml string you should be able to grab that variable.

Alternatively a lot of people have also just used the Write_Variable module to just write a variable to a text file and keep polling that text file in another program to grab the value ... again, lots of possibilities here, probably too many to make an easy decision, yes?

STeven.

some troubleshootin [7]

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:08:02 EDT

Saikumar,

Perhaps you can include an image to better indicate what you are looking for. Please also try to achieve the result yourself and let us know when you get stuck. Including the attempt as a robofile and an example image will get you to your results quicker.

Thanks,
STeven.

Keyboard Issues - Using RR [10]

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:08:59 EDT

It appears that the joystick system was overwriting the keyboard action. We switched the order and enabled the "clear on release" for the keyboard module. See the new VBScript and attached robofile. Note that you will need to change the VBScript path to your willow.vbs file.

' WILLOW OPERATING SYSTEM VERSION 1.0
' FOR USE IN ROBOREALM ENVIROMENT
'
'___________________________________________________

' VARIABLE DESCRIPTIONS
'___________________________________________________
' M1 = RIGHT DRIVE MOTOR
' M2  = LEFT DRIVE MOTOR
' RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = RIGHT MOTOR POWER FORWARD
' RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = RIGHT MOTOR POWER BACKWARD
' LEFTMTRPWRFOR = LEFT MOTOR POWER FORWARD
' LEFTMTRPWRBAC = LEFT MOTOR POWER BACKWARD
' TRIG = D-PAD READING
' MOVE = LOGITECH ORBIT MOVEMENT
' KEY = KEYBOARD READING

'___________________________________________________
' DECLARED VARIABLES

Dim M1
Dim M2
Dim RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
Dim RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
Dim LEFTMTRPWRFOR
Dim LEFTMTRPWRBAC
Dim TRIG
Dim MOVE
Dim KEY

'___________________________________________________
' SET INITIAL DRIVE POWER LEVELS

' reload speed values from past settings
RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = GetVariable("RIGHTMTRPWRFOR")
RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = GetVariable("RIGHTMTRPWRBAC")
LEFTMTRPWRFOR = GetVariable("LEFTMTRPWRFOR")
LEFTMTRPWRBAC = GetVariable("LEFTMTRPWRBAC")

' but if they have never been set ensure they
' have reasonable default values
if RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 0 then
  RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 151
  RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 104
  LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 153
  LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 102
end if

'___________________________________________________
' JOYSTICK DRIVE SECTION

JOY_Y = GetVariable("JOY_Y")
JOY_X = GetVariable("JOY_X")

if JOY_Y <> 0 or JOY_X <> 0 then

  If JOY_Y = 1000 then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable"M2" , LEFTMTRPWRBAC
  End If

  If JOY_Y= -1000 then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
  End If

  If JOY_Y  > -999 and JOY_Y < 999  then
    SetVariable"M1" , 128
    SetVariable"M2" , 128
  End If

  If JOY_X = 1000 then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
  End If

  If JOY_X = -1000 then
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
  End If

end if

'___________________________________________________
' GET KEYSTROKE & ASSIGN DRIVE POWER VALUES

'POWER LEVEL 1

KEY = GetStrVariable("KEY")

write Key

If KEY <> "" then

  ' determine if we have a new speed setting
  If KEY = "1" then
    RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 151
    RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 104
    LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 153
    LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 102
  End If

  'POWER LEVEL 2

  If KEY = "2" then
    RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 175
    RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 80
    LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 177
    LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 78
  End If

  'POWERLEVEL 3

  If KEY = "3" then
    RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 199
    RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 56
    LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 201
    LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 54
  End If

  'POWERLEVEL 4

  If KEY = "4" then
    RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 223
    RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 32
    LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 225
    LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 30
  End If

  ' and don't forget to save them for next time use
  If KEY = "1" or KEY = "2" or KEY = "3" or KEY = "4" then
    SetVariable "RIGHTMTRPWRFOR", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "RIGHTMTRPWRBAC", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable "LEFTMTRPWRFOR", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "LEFTMTRPWRBAC", LEFTMTRPWRBAC
  end if

  '
  '___________________________________________________
  ' KEYBOARD DRIVE SECTION

  If KEY = "w" then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
  End If

  If KEY = "z" then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRBAC
  End If

  If KEY = "a" then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRBAC
  End If

  If KEY = "s" then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
  End If

end if

'
'____________________________________________________
' LOGITECH CAMERA D-PAD MOVING SECTION

MOVE = 0
TRIG = Getvariable("TRIG")

If TRIG =  9000 then MOVE = MOVE OR 8
If TRIG = 27000 then MOVE = MOVE OR 4
If trig = 18000 then MOVE = MOVE OR 2
If trig = 0 then MOVE = MOVE OR 1

SetVariable "MOVE", MOVE

Boe Bot Serial Communication [67]

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:08:35 EDT

Edward,

The camera would need to transmit its signal back to the PC and then a USB digitizer will be needed to get the video into the PC. So you need two components like:

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=203C-50MW-N&AID=10440852&CJPID=2194341&cm_ven=CJ&cm_pla=2194341&cm_ite=REDIRECT-ProductSpecific_Text_9-11-2006&cm_cat=1920981

and

http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_usblive.html

to get the image into the camera. See the tutorial on

http://www.roborealm.com/tutorial/ball_picker/slide010.php

as to how we did that.

Yes, you can select the COM port in serial with Bluetooth ... the Bluetooth connection looks like a serial COM port to the PC. So the change is easy from a physical serial cable to bluetooth.

STeven.

Keyboard Issues - Using RR [8]

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:08:26 EDT

Les,

We attached the robofile that we used to test this below. Also just try upgrading to the latest version. You have a close one but you never know what changes might have been fixed to make this work. Let me know if this continues not to work.

Note that we left in your VBScript path.

STeven.

Keyboard Issues - Using RR [5]

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:08:52 EDT

We've included a revamped VBScript file. The biggest issue turned out to be the usage of GetVariable on the keyboard key. The key is actually a string of one character long and not an integer. GetVariable expects an integer whereas GetStrVariable will get the full string back. Changing this and cleaning up parts of the file seems to make this work as needed. Try using this VBScript file and see if you get better results.

STeven.

'___________________________________________________
' WILLOW OPERATING SYSTEM VERSION 1.0
' FOR USE IN ROBOREALM ENVIROMENT
'
'___________________________________________________

' VARIABLE DESCRIPTIONS
'___________________________________________________
' M1 = RIGHT DRIVE MOTOR
' M2  = LEFT DRIVE MOTOR
' RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = RIGHT MOTOR POWER FORWARD
' RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = RIGHT MOTOR POWER BACKWARD
' LEFTMTRPWRFOR = LEFT MOTOR POWER FORWARD
' LEFTMTRPWRBAC = LEFT MOTOR POWER BACKWARD
' TRIG = D-PAD READING
' MOVE = LOGITECH ORBIT MOVEMENT
' KEY = KEYBOARD READING

'___________________________________________________
' DECLARED VARIABLES

Dim M1
Dim M2
Dim RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
Dim RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
Dim LEFTMTRPWRFOR
Dim LEFTMTRPWRBAC
Dim TRIG
Dim MOVE
Dim KEY

'___________________________________________________
' SET INITIAL DRIVE POWER LEVELS

' reload speed values from past settings
RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = GetVariable("RIGHTMTRPWRFOR")
RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = GetVariable("RIGHTMTRPWRBAC")
LEFTMTRPWRFOR = GetVariable("LEFTMTRPWRFOR")
LEFTMTRPWRBAC = GetVariable("LEFTMTRPWRBAC")

' but if they have never been set ensure they
' have reasonable default values
if RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 0 then
  RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 151
  RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 104
  LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 153
  LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 102
end if

'___________________________________________________
' GET KEYSTROKE & ASSIGN DRIVE POWER VALUES

'POWER LEVEL 1

KEY = GetStrVariable("KEY")

write Key

If KEY <> "" then

  ' determine if we have a new speed setting
  If KEY = "1" then
    RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 151
    RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 104
    LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 153
    LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 102
  End If

  'POWER LEVEL 2

  If KEY = "2" then
    RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 175
    RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 80
    LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 177
    LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 78
  End If

  'POWERLEVEL 3

  If KEY = "3" then
    RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 199
    RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 56
    LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 201
    LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 54
  End If

  'POWERLEVEL 4

  If KEY = "4" then
    RIGHTMTRPWRFOR = 223
    RIGHTMTRPWRBAC = 32
    LEFTMTRPWRFOR = 225
    LEFTMTRPWRBAC = 30
  End If

  ' and don't forget to save them for next time use
  If KEY = "1" or KEY = "2" or KEY = "3" or KEY = "4" then
    SetVariable "RIGHTMTRPWRFOR", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "RIGHTMTRPWRBAC", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable "LEFTMTRPWRFOR", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "LEFTMTRPWRBAC", LEFTMTRPWRBAC
  end if

  '
  '___________________________________________________
  ' KEYBOARD DRIVE SECTION

  If KEY = "w" then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
  End If

  If KEY = "z" then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRBAC
  End If

  If KEY = "a" then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRBAC
  End If

  If KEY = "s" then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
  End If

end if

'___________________________________________________
' JOYSTICK DRIVE SECTION

JOY_Y = GetVariable("JOY_Y")
JOY_X = GetVariable("JOY_X")

if JOY_Y <> 0 or JOY_X <> 0 then

  If JOY_Y = 1000 then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable"M2" , LEFTMTRPWRBAC
  End If

  If JOY_Y= -1000 then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
  End If

  If JOY_Y  > -999 and JOY_Y < 999  then
    SetVariable"M1" , 128
    SetVariable"M2" , 128
  End If

  If JOY_X = 1000 then
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRFOR
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRFOR
  End If

  If JOY_X = 1000 then
    SetVariable "M2", LEFTMTRPWRBAC
    SetVariable "M1", RIGHTMTRPWRBAC
  End If

end if

'
'____________________________________________________
' LOGITECH CAMERA D-PAD MOVING SECTION

MOVE = 0
TRIG = Getvariable("TRIG")

If TRIG =  9000 then MOVE = MOVE OR 8
If TRIG = 27000 then MOVE = MOVE OR 4
If trig = 18000 then MOVE = MOVE OR 2
If trig = 0 then MOVE = MOVE OR 1

SetVariable "MOVE", MOVE

Keyboard Issues - Using RR [3]

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:08:13 EDT

Les,

Your script seems correct. Perhaps the keyboard module is not configured correctly. Can you include that in a robofile so that we can check how you have it configured?

Thanks,
STeven.

Roborealm can't connect with boe-bot (serial port) [9]

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:08:37 EDT

Edward,

Here's the robofile that we used to test this. Note that we simplified the VBScript file a little to make debugging easier. The program download to the BoeBot is

' {$STAMP BS2}
' {$PBASIC 2.5}
x VAR Word
y VAR Word
main:
SERIN 0,84,[WAIT ("!"),DEC4 x,DEC4 y]
PULSOUT 14, x
PULSOUT 15, y
PAUSE 5
GOTO main

Note that this assumes BlueTooth (the 0 in SERIN) otherwise you will need to change it to 16 (COM1 connected).

Also note that motors are on 14 and 15 as apposed to 12, 13.

See if this robofile works for you.

Note that the robot should turn to face a red object.

STeven.

some troubleshootin [4]

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:08:19 EDT

Saikumar,

1. You could use the color_sample module to set coordinates at a location and then read the COLOR_SAMPLE variable for that location. You'd have to enter the coordinates into the X,Y locations using [startx], [starty], etc. ie do not type in a number but use a [variable] (unless the coordinates do not change ...)

Another possibility is to use the GetPixels routine in the VBScript module to get all the image pixels (assuming your image is not too big) and then you could read the pixel data directly using a VBScript style array access.

2. There are a couple ways to do a loop. You can check Microsoft's site for documentation on VBScript ... but you can use

for i = 0 to 10 step 1
next

or

while i < 10
i=i+1
wend

There are a lot of websites out there that show how to do this. For example

http://www.powerbasic.com/support/help/pbcc/while_wend_statements.htm

seems like it has the needed info (first link from a google search).

3. Please download the latest version of RR. We have added some sort checkboxes in the blob_filter module to sort the coordinates in both X and Y order which should give you the order that you are looking for.

4. Yes, you can use the VBScript module for simple calculations and/or processing. If the calculations get more complex or you need to process additional long lists then using the Extensions to create a DLL that can be added into RoboRealm would be the way to go. The DLL can be written in C++ which would process much faster than VBScript (note you could also use other JIT type languages like Java, C#, etc. to get almost C++ speed).

STeven.

Computer Speed Issues [3]

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:08:06 EDT

SamQ,

The specs you mention are better than anything we use here!

What are the specs for your current notebook? Sounds like you perhaps have a memory drive swapping issue. You'd probably want at least 2Gig for Vista or XP just for the OS ... its not needed for RR but if the OS is busy it will take resources away from RR.

FYI, most folks we know seem to want to stick with XP rather than Vista ... but that's a matter of choice and RR works fine on both.

Note that your camera will also be a factor in this situation depending on lighting. More light is normally better (within reason).

STeven.

Configurate eb500 Bluetooth [3]

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:08:40 EDT

Edward,

The eb500 should register itself as a serial port on your computer. Check the little blue icon in the lower right portion of your desktop toolbar and double click to see what bluetooth devices are registered on your system. Using that interface you should be able to find the COM port that the device is registered as. This would be the port you would use in the RR serial (or BoeBot) interface.

STeven.

Boe Bot Serial Communication [65]

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:08:10 EDT

Edward,

Yes, two current issues. One, you need to specify 9600 buad in the serial module .. it seems that you did not have anything set when we loaded in your robofile.

Second, the SERIN command needs a 16 instead of a 0 as the first parameter since you are using COM1 or the physical connection. 0 works with the bluetooth but you need 16 if you are to run it over the debugging COM1.

We will continue to investigate your script further as even when it does communicate with the boebot it does not appear to be sending out the right motor values.

STeven.

Int32 and Strings. [5]

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:08:40 EDT

JJ,

I'm not sure what you're getting at ... why can't you just use the Convert class to change the String into an Int? Simply use the RRInterface to get the variable as a string and then convert that into an int?

Perhaps I am not understanding your issue correctly. Can you provide an example?

STeven.

Logitech Sphere / Orbit AF [15]

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:08:56 EDT

Dave,

That's correct. We made that small change which was long overdue. Good to hear that it works for you.

STeven.

Int32 and Strings. [3]

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:08:14 EDT

Yes, but in the Program.cs example of the API (not in the MSRS interface).

But it is a simple conversion using

int i = Convert.ToInt32(string)

STeven.

Logitech Sphere / Orbit AF [11]

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:08:33 EDT

NairB,

Yes, we expect that the values will range on different cameras and the best way is to experiment with them as you have done. As in a lot of these types of projects a little patient tweaking of numbers can really add a lot to the project.

Thanks for the link! Much appreciated!

STeven.

Logitech Sphere / Orbit AF [9]

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:08:14 EDT

NairB,

Very cool. The auto pan works nicely to just sit back, let the camera do its thing and check out the scenery!

STeven.

OSC controll questions [7]

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:08:42 EDT

Also, would you be willing to beta test a Make controller interface if we create one?

STeven.