Vision thru wireless webcam, possible?

[evaderdjo]

Would it be possible to attach a wireless video camera to the robot, that could act as a webcam? I've seen a few wireless webcams, but they are very expensive, and big. There are some cheaper security cameras, or pinhole cameras, but they normally transmit to a receiver that outputs in RCA format, which some webcam software programs have issues wth (Window Live Messenger, Yahoo, etc.)

I've also seen RCA to USB adapters which could convert the RCA output from the security camera receiver to USB format. But would the webcam software recognize it?

If anyone has prior experience on how to get wireless vision that can be recognized as a webcam (key point), I would love to hear how it can be done.

[Ray]

Hi, I know Surveyor SRV-1 Blackfin Camera is one of the chose,
which use our wireless router as the receiving tool to PC software

http://www.surveyor.com/SRV.html

But I have no time to analyzer, please report if you have further finding.

[Humanoido]

This is just an idea - there are now numerous cell phones with built in cameras and connectivity to the internet. Given their extremely small size, it sounds like great potential for robotics, and maybe exactly what you're looking for. I have one of these small cameras, about the size of a sewing thimble, which was designed to plug into a tiny slot on the cell phone. It's about the size of Robonova's head, and would probably fit inside with the tiny case removed.

humanoido

[Ray]

Hi Humanoido,

Can you give me some infomation of these small cameras ?

Ray.

[engineer]

could you also work in bluetooth compatability? so that we could record rn-1's point of view, say during a wrestling match at the games? thnx john

[SK]

This is just an idea - there are now numerous cell phones with built in cameras and connectivity to the internet.

The RoboCup team of the University of Manitoba is even using a whole cell phone as the head for their customized Bioloids:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmzeAd6S7rk

[StuartL]

This is a very popular solution for RoboCup. A large number of teams in RoboGames 2007 were using mobile/cellular phones for the brains and video processing of their robots. I suspect the same will be true this year.

[SK]

Well that´s not really the case, most teams use one of the following:
-Pocket PC with Webcams/USB-cameras
-PC104 boards or similar with Webcams/USB-cameras
-Microcontrollers with CMUCAMs/self-built cameras

The U of M humanoid robot is the only one that comes to my mind with a actual cell phone head/brains. Even if I forgot about one or two others this solution isn´t popular compared to the huge number of teams using the stuff described above.

[limor]

have a look at the wireless analog cameras available on Sparkfun for $49. (has link to video from camera strapped on to RC helicopter)
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc ... cts_id=156
you can plug the receiver to your PC video card.

or on ebay.co.uk in Europe.
http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search. ... ess+camera

[StuartL]

The U of M humanoid robot is the only one that comes to my mind with a actual cell phone head/brains. Even if I forgot about one or two others this solution isn´t popular compared to the huge number of teams using the stuff described above.

There were three teams at RoboGames 2007 using smart-phones, two of which were smart-phone-PDA-iPaq things.

I'll concede that in the grand scheme of the number of teams entering that it's not exactly an overwhelmingly popular (or flexible, or fast) solution but it's cheap and easy to develop for.

[evaderdjo]

These are all great suggestions for the wireless video part, but getting Yahoo or Messenger to recognize video input from an RCA input is the key. Do any of these solutions allow for Yahoo or Messenger to recognize the input as a webcam?

[SK]

There were three teams at RoboGames 2007 using smart-phones, two of which were smart-phone-PDA-iPaq things.

Mea culpa, as you answered to my RoboCup-related post, I automatically read "RoboGames 2007" as "RoboCup 2007", which is of course a different thing. So you´re of course right, sorry again.

[limor]

These are all great suggestions for the wireless video part, but getting Yahoo or Messenger to recognize video input from an RCA input is the key. Do any of these solutions allow for Yahoo or Messenger to recognize the input as a webcam?

http://www.ehow.com/how_2242539_video-c ... cheap.html

[RobotServicesGroup]

We were able to use our wireless camera as a webcam without much trouble using video conferencing software called ooVoo. Maybe the problem is with Messenger and Yahoo, not your camera.