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 Robotics / 11704
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Subject: 
Headlights
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Wed, 14 Jun 2000 23:24:31 GMT
Viewed: 
699 times
  
Teleoperating robots with cameras the first thing you notice is how abruptly
the cameras respond to low light levels.  They go from working to very gray
and graining rather suddenly. Just a little light will keep them working.

I tried several things but found the easiest just to mount two of the AAA
two cell MagLites onto Lego Bricks, 2x10 stud.  I scuffed up the front
plastic cover of the lights with very fine sandpaper which made a big
difference in light coverage and distribution.

A side benefit is a sort of "rangefinder".  With the two lights level and
spaced several inches apart on either side of the camera, as the robot
approaches something quite close, there is a rather distinct point at which
the light reflecting off a surface in front of the robot becomes two separate
blobs of light. This becomes apparent at short range only and you can use it
in the TV image to confirm that the robot is about to bump into something
even if it is just a featureless wall.  When you see the two separate blobs
of light, whatever the light is falling on is right in front of the robot,
very close.

www.aloha.net/~mburger



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