Displaying the hardware's functionality being controlled by the Matlab interface

Security Bot Model 2.3

You can download the video here

Introduction:

We have created a software base that allows a web cam, attached to a special hardware mount, to be controlled from a PC.  Our software facilitates manipulating the orientation of the camera (ie. rotating it), and grabbing images from it, in an abstract, high-level manner.

The camera mount is made from Lego. A Lego RCX Brick v1.0 controls the sensors and motors on the mount. The RCX has its firmware replaced with leJOS, which is a tiny, simplified Java Virtual Machine designed for use on the RCX’s microprocessor.

The PC and RCX can communicate through an infrared link, comprised of an IR tower plugged into the PC’s serial (or USB) port, and an infrared port on the RCX brick itself.

We have written software for the RCX.  This is written in leJOS, and once the leJOS firmware is in place, our software can be downloaded onto the RCX.

For the PC side we have written Java software, consisting of numerous classes.  These Java classes are not really programs in themselves, but collectively they form a base that facilitate high-level manipulation of the webcam.  While the software to manipulate the camera is written in Java, and can simply form the basis for Java programs, it has also been designed to be used from within a Matlab environment.  Matlab allows running of Java objects by providing its own JVM.

 

 


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