Canada
Asked — Edited

Room Detection With Invisible Glyphs

@JS1 mentioned in another thread about doing indoor room detection and that got me to thinking....dangerous I know.

I wonder if we could use Volvo's new "Life Paint" to make invisible Glyphs on dark surfaces? We could make a few stencils for each room and then mount a strong LED flash light on our robots to be able to spot the invisible Glyphs with our cameras.

Here's a link to Life Paint

Another way might be to try a strong UV flashlight and use light yellow fluorescent markers to make the glyphs.


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United Kingdom
#1  

@Jeremie.

LOL, great minds think alike (or something like that). I've got a friend who is an avid cyclist who told me about this a couple of days ago. There are some cycle shops in London that are (or should I say, were) offering 100ml free sample cans of Life Paint and he said he would try and get me a can. But they apparently flew off the shelves and he hasn't been able to get hold of any yet, although he is still looking. (There are some available in eBay, but for about £40 ($60 US) plus for a 100ml can which I'm NOT about to get. Not for that price).

You've seen my robot Victor's making of video, so you have seen the super bright LED torches he has installed. These would be ideal for picking up Life Paint. If my friend manages to get hold of a can for me before it goes on genral sale, I'll give it a try and let you and the community know.;)

PRO
Canada
#2  

Great @Steve G! I'm glad to hear that you'll be checking into it too. I'll keep an eye out for it here in our neck of the woods:)

#3  

The only issue with lifepaint is that it only lasts for a week or two before needing to be re-applied (although that is for outdoor use where it is affected by wind/rain/etc. Might last longer inside.

I don't know the technology behind it, but I suspect it is probably nano beads, which may come under some regulatory review (they are already being removed from makeup because they are finding they are getting into the environment with potentially very long life), so it is possible this won't ever be available in the US. I hope I am wrong on that, being an avid cyclist who sometimes commutes in the dark....

Alan

United Kingdom
#4  

No worries. My only slight concern is any glyphs made with this paint might not be recognised in daylight or well lit rooms, but as it washes off (and invisible anyway) Indonthink it's worth some experimentation.

EDIT:

@Alan.

I was thinking perhaps a coat of clear lacquer over the top of the Life paint could make it more permanent, as long as it's only a thin coat so it doesn't reflect the torch light too much.