Got Flash and EyesWeb talking :D

Now i just need to figure out how to get the message i want across

Update

After a week in Italy I got back on the dissertation. Monday I did a small bit of user testing with some children I know, it was very interesting and informative. I didn’t have any real prototype to show them though which annoyed me though.

I had to download a newer version of EyesWeb and re-do all of my code again, there was different names and locations for the objects so it took a while. I am still not 100% confident on the next step yet so am gonna do more research and ask some people about it.

I made a flash prototype yesterday - I do also think that I could use this as the final flash piece of my project. The prototype is a working prototype by using mouse clicks instead of the motion detection. I am going to use this prototype to do another bit of user testing later on today

Check out this prototype - http://www.graphicid.ie/dissertation/working%20flash.html

I have a meeting in UL tomorrow so I will update again after that

Back to Webcam/EyesWeb

After a few stressful weeks i came back and had a meeting with Mikael who convinced me that i should give webcam detection (using eyesweb) another chance.

Unlike previous attempts i was able to actually do something successfully. By using a tutorial and changing some elements around i was able to make a motion detection/background subtracter.

Here is the code



This code makes this



Turn into the following when you put a hand infront of it



Obviously this coding needs specific light conditions so i haven't been able to test it out 100% yet, I also tested it out using the semi-transparent screen in the IDC and it seemed successful, although i do still need to try it with a projection. Next step is that i need to find out how i can analyze the movement and convert it into midi notes.

Sensors?

My head has been wrecked thinking of how I can get a webcam to pick up the right motion in the horizontal wall. I decided to look elsewhere to see what other things I could use to detect this. I was using one of those paper towel dispensers with the sensor in the front and thought that I should look into that as it seems the perfect kind of technology for what I need.

I had a look around the internet and found the following website with something that might suit, http://www.glolab.com/dp-001/dp-001.html -- although that says one of them costs $22.95 and as I need 40 (one for each circle) it would be too much cost wise. I am currently having another look around to see if I can obtain these sensors cheaper or maybe make something similar up with other materials.

If I do use sensors for my project it will also mean that my project would be portable which will mean I will have a greater option of user testing.

My father works for a training company who are currently doing a course on security and monitoring. I was asked to digitize some technical drawings for them and noticed that they also use some types of sensors for their work. I plan to ask the person organising that course a few questions about sensors and see if he has any suggestion on how I could use sensors in my project.

Flash buttons

As my head as been wrecked with the webcam side of my project i decided to take a little break from it and decided to do a bit of the next step. I have made the visualisations along with rollovers. I am still trying to figure out how to get the buttons to play midi files.

You can see what i have so far HERE

3D prototype

Update

Sorry for the lack of posts on this blog.

I think I now have the final layout for the system - 5 across and 8 up. And the 5 below are now symbolised by actual halves etc...



As you can also see from above I have my 3d prototype almost finished.

I also handed in my first draft of the written dissertation last Friday. I am actually finding the writing part easier than the practical (a statement I thought I would never say). I am still trying to get my head around EyesWeb and looking around the internet at other technologies I could use to detect the position. With the webcam I got off the college not working on vista and my handy cam needing to be replaced I haven’t been able to do all the testing needed as I cant seem to link up my inbuilt camera to EyesWeb. I also e-mailed one of the other tutors in UL whom I was told was the EyesWeb expert but he informed me that the weakest thing with EyesWeb is the documentation, I might try and arrange a quick tutorial with him over the coming weeks if possible. Derrick, one of my fellow students, found a way to do some web detection through flash so I also might ask him for a quick tutorial on that for a fallback option

I will have my 3D prototype up by the end of the week.