bradleyheathhays
Hey, can't say how grateful I am to have found this forum! Although I'm not from the robotics community, I am a crafter of sorts and have an idea for a little device I'd like to build, and I need your advice on where to go from here.
My task is fairly simple. I work in an industry that uses 6-8" computer tablets, and when a part of the screen changes color to indicate an available 'job,' whoever hits the on-screen 'button' first gets the job, thusly increasing their income. Basically, I just need to create a device that senses when that particular part of the screen changes color, and then automatically responds with some type of actuator (I assume) to make contact with the screen using a stylus device.
Sounds simple? I hope so!
I know this may take some work, but I'm def willing to make an investment in time and effort.
Without going into further detail I should stop short and simply ask...is this the place I need to be to begin developing such an idea? Also, I'd like to try to develop this idea simultaneously at as many locations as possible here on the net; so if there's another place besides here that may be of help I would surely appreciate some direction.
Looking forward to your ideas and questions!
CONTROLLER
if you want to learn robotics, the EZB controller is the right tool, no wires (wifi) easy to connect, user friendly software ARC and a nice community.
EZB Controller requires a PC or a mobile tablet to run the software logic.
If you want to build a mobile solution (car) you will need a tablet or smartphone always on running your application.
this can be overkill if you want to build a portable solution, always on, minimal user interaction.
Again thanks ptp! So glad this is looking doable.
Couple things...
SENSING The simplest detection method, the color sensor, seems like it would work in my case. For the most part it's just as you mentioned...red or green square. The 1"x1" screen portion that needs to be monitored is a dedicated 'button' section of the screen that has a symbol in the middle, which is a different color than the rest of the button. When that entire area changes color and alerts, both the symbol and the non-symbol portion of the button change color, significantly enough that I would think a sensor could be calibrated to alert to the change.
Building a closed opaque case sounds entirely doable.
TOUCH Thankfully the screen reacts to both human and stylus touch. I'm thinking I can use the stylus that came with the tablet and integrate it with the servo/actuator part of the plan. But thanks for thinking ahead to that potential issue.
CONTROLLER I'll go whatever direction you suggest. The idea of learning robotics is appealing as I'm pretty much a tinkerer anyway. Controlling the device via wifi through a mobile pad sounds fairly practical. But I'm not entirely sure what you may have meant by overkill...maybe that all these things are more than I was expecting? If I have to go to some lengths to get this done I'm ok with that. In the end I think the effort will pay off.
Sorry I missed your post earlier, but, any more thoughts after my update here?
No more updates, i tried to cover all the options i know.
My last post had also an advise, to avoid wrong expectations.
some people think EZB is autonomous, so i raised the tablet/pc requirement.
you mentioned a mobile device (car), so i raised you will need a controlled/stable solution to be able to take with you and removed when needed.
finally i mentioned user interaction: stop, disconnect, connect, load application, start, etc.
Is doable, you will need to get familiar with the controller, software, sensors, actuators etc.
OK thanks for the push in the right direction. I'll start watching the tutorial videos you linked to. Will those videos be all I need to get familiar with the controller, software, sensors, etc you mentioned?
Is there anywhere else I should go here on the net to look for help developing this idea?
The only video link i sent is a demo of the capacitive touch control. I believe can be replicated also with an EZB i never tried, but the principle is toggle one digital pin on to off. If does not work you will need to find a tiny sensor or you can use a servo.
If everything is new to you, the Learn section is the best place to start.
then you can try to search the forum for previous posts or issues.
you will need to get the EZR hardware, you can go "a la carte" or go with the developer kit (a good bundle)
other topics:
I2C sensor you will need to know: how it works, how do you connect to EZB, and how you control (EZ-Script).
if you plan to use a servo, you will need a DC/DC converters from 12V to 7v one example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RSOOBYC/
Seems to me that a software solution would be better. I'm not into programming for tablets, however I am into programming for PCs and Mainframes. And programming is programming, regardless of the platform. There should be methods available that would "look at" (monitor) a section of the screen and simulate a click on that section when it changes color. Such a scheme would be much easier to implement and may cost nothing using free tablet software. With luck, you could probably get someone to do it for you. Generally it should be a trivial thing to do for someone knowledgeable in some sort of tablet programming language. It would be in a PC language, at any rate. Plus it would be usable anywhere with no attachments required.
I can't recommend any software to do this for a tablet, I would only be able to help with a PC version of the tablet app. However, I would recommend going to a tablet software forum and asking your question there.
Wouldn't it be easier just to keep tapping the screen continually? That way you don't need Color detection or anything too fancy... As soon as the button became active and green it would register on the next tap.
Just a thought
ARC has a plug-in for mouse control. It can mouse click on any spot on the screen through a ez script. Of course you'll have to be running ARC on a windows computer or tablet.