Society of Robots - Robot Forum
Mechanics and Construction => Mechanics and Construction => Topic started by: icon on October 11, 2011, 10:15:35 PM
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What I mean by my subject is I am building a sculpture with a head. I want the head to move/power ON when someone enters the room and said head follow the person in the room with some type of motion sensor. I know this is possible, but don't know what to look for. Once this happens I want it to activate all the lights on the sculpture.
Hope you can help, thank you.
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You can use webcam for motion tracking. Software can compare still image of the room with the "live" captured images and that way know if there is someone in the room. When someone comes, difference between still image and captured image would be exact location of the person to be tracked.
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Hi,
What I mean by my subject is I am building a sculpture with a head. I want the head to move/power ON when someone enters the room and said head follow the person in the room with some type of motion sensor.
Did you consider a situation with two or more people in the room?
Some sort of color blob detection may be the solution. It may shift focus from person to person every now and then, as the clearest/brightest/most saturated part of an image may shift as people walk around, but that may make it more human - we shift our focus all the time when in public.
Depending on the dimensions of the room, it might not be able to track all the way.
A spinning PIR sensor would be able to track 360°, but more than one person will still need to be handled in software. Which brings me to... Are you aware that, whatever you choose, a microcontroller will be part of it and need to be programmed.
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Hi,
What I mean by my subject is I am building a sculpture with a head. I want the head to move/power ON when someone enters the room and said head follow the person in the room with some type of motion sensor.
Did you consider a situation with two or more people in the room?
Some sort of color blob detection may be the solution. It may shift focus from person to person every now and then, as the clearest/brightest/most saturated part of an image may shift as people walk around, but that may make it more human - we shift our focus all the time when in public.
Depending on the dimensions of the room, it might not be able to track all the way.
A spinning PIR sensor would be able to track 360°, but more than one person will still need to be handled in software. Which brings me to... Are you aware that, whatever you choose, a microcontroller will be part of it and need to be programmed.
Thanks for finding a flaw in my idea. How about a switch or servo that will make the head move in any direction and just use a motion sensor to turn on the head. Anything like that?
Would something like this work?
http://www.elechouse.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=294 (http://www.elechouse.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=294)
http://www.elechouse.com/elechouse/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_74&products_id=276 (http://www.elechouse.com/elechouse/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_74&products_id=276)
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Hi,
How about a switch or servo that will make the head move in any direction and just use a motion sensor to turn on the head. Anything like that?
I get the feeling that you are maybe not equipped, enabled or wanting to do any programming or electronics building?
If that's the case, your options are a bit limited, but where there's will, there's way :)
It would probably be a god time to let us in on a few things:
Can you read a schematic and build from it?
How about programming?
And your mechanical skills?
The parameters of the room and head, like...
Size of room?
Head placement (in the room and at what height)?
Needed distance of reaction?
Available power source?
How much control do you have over the room (in terms of eg. installing sensors in the floor or at room entries)?
Feel free to fill in other specs that you may think matters.
Without this knowledge, most advice will be like hunting ducks with a 12-gauge and a blindfold - inadequate, slightly risky and a waste of gun powder.
Would something like this work?
http://www.elechouse.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=294 (http://www.elechouse.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=294)
To get the PIR to reveal a persons relative placement, you have to spin it or sweep it like a scanning RADAR, as it only tells you that it detects a certain temperature gradient within its field of view.
The exact position of the spinner/sweeper has to be known at all times, to relat the detection of body heat to an angular position.
The product in the link could be used as part of such a device, but I think you could find a cheaper alternative (again, this depends on what you're willing/able to do).
http://www.elechouse.com/elechouse/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_74&products_id=276 (http://www.elechouse.com/elechouse/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_74&products_id=276)
I gather that you think of the "Sensor Shield V4.0"?
This alone will do nothing, it's an extension unit for an Arduino microcontroller board, which you need to have to use it (plus you need to program the Arduino).