Robovision on our 2019 FRC bot

Posted on Mon 15 April 2019 in OpenCV • Tagged with robotics, opencv, python

Now that our 2019 FRC season is over, I'd like to describe how Team 1518 implemented vision processing on our bot. We set some aggressive goals, which we aimed to achieve by using the the robovision library, OpenCV, and Python on a Jetson TX2. The primary goals of this post …


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Introducing Robovision

Posted on Sun 10 March 2019 in OpenCV • Tagged with python, opencv, robotics

The FIRST robotics competition (FRC) challenges high school students to design and build a robot capable of performing multiple challenging tasks. These annual challenges typically involve computer vision components, such as identifying and using reflective markers to locate targets. High school computer science curriculum rarely covers software engineering topics, let …


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Using OpenCV in an iOS app

Posted on Fri 01 February 2019 in OpenCV • Tagged with OpenCV, iOS, swift

Computer vision is cool tech ... computer vision in an iOS app is even better! In this post, I'll describe how you can integrate and use OpenCV in your Swift-based iOS app. Before we dig in to the process, let's take a look at how the finished integration will work.

Integration diagram

As …


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Publishing to PyPI

Posted on Fri 25 January 2019 in Python • Tagged with python

I recently published my first Python package to PyPI. The guides I found on how to do so were mostly out-of-date and confusing. Of course, PyPI is reportedly coming out with new updates soon and my instructions here will soon be outdated. In any case, here's my take on how …


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Raspberry Pi for IoT

Posted on Fri 14 December 2018 in Making, Python • Tagged with raspberry pi, making, python

I gave a presentation to the Buffalo Python meetup group in December. My talk centered around using the Raspberry Pi as a platform for IoT and embedded development. I want to share my presentation and the resources I mentioned here on my blog.

Update I presented an expanded version of …


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Getting user input with OpenCV trackbars

Posted on Tue 16 October 2018 in OpenCV • Tagged with opencv, python

Trackbars, or sliders, are a simple way to get user input when working with OpenCV. In this post, I’ll show you how to add trackbars to an OpenCV window, read their values, and use those values in your Python scripts.

Trackbars (sliders) on an OpenCV window

To demonstrate a use for trackbars, we’ll read …


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Multiple cameras with a single Raspberry Pi

Posted on Sun 02 September 2018 in Python • Tagged with python, raspberry pi, making

The Arducam Multi Camera Adapter board is a neat accessory for a Raspberry Pi. With it, you can connect multiple cameras to a single Pi. A single board supports up to four cameras. According to Arducam, you can stack up to four boards for a total of 16 cameras on …


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Finding the dominant colors of an image

Posted on Tue 24 July 2018 in OpenCV • Tagged with opencv, python

The typical way to isolate or find an object in an image is to look for its color. You specify a range of colors, then use OpenCV to identify regions in an image that contain colors within that range. But, even if you know the exact color of your target …


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Ad-hoc objects in Python

Posted on Fri 06 July 2018 in Python • Tagged with python

If you know one programming language, it's natural to look for parallels as you learn a new language. In my case, I've coded in JavaScript for many years while Python is much more recent for me. I regularly find myself thinking "in JavaScript, I'd do ..."

Take object handling. I really …


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Path prediction with OpenCV

Posted on Sun 03 June 2018 in OpenCV • Tagged with opencv, python

Recently, I spotted an article on HackerNews, Self-driving RC car that uses AI to predict turning angles. The project looked interesting. They applied AI to predict the path a radio-controlled car should take to stay centered over a tape track on the floor. Using a Raspberry Pi and PiCam mounted …


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