4. The Project
Vision
To develop an artistic tracing product that is intuitive, fun, and
practical. By utilizing available technology in addition to self-
created solutions the product could be utilized as a teaching
tool to make notes from a distance, a toy for children of nearly
any age to play with, and a platform for hobbyists to use for
any related purpose.
Target Audience
Children
Educators
Artistic hobbyists
You?
6. Raspberry Pi
Benefits
Inexpensive
Small form factor
Debian Linux
Easy-to-use
Non-CPU intensive
“Fast enough”
ARM Processor – Overclocked at 800 MHz
Cons
Despite being “fast enough”, could be faster
Some noticeable lag
Sampling rate for IR sensor too low (Software issue, mainly)
Requires a bit of set up in order to be functional
An image of the RPi created after each working code change
Requires at least a Class 10 SD card to run efficiently
7. Infrared LED Pen
IR LED
Pushbutton Switch
1.5V AA Battery
Expo Marker
8. Software
Written exclusively in python
Original open source software originally
created by StephaneDuchesneau of MIT
Outdated and incomplete, but usable after
a lot of trial-and-error
Majority of modifications made in the GUI
Uses GTK and wxPython for the GUI
libraries, framework, etc.
Requires several packages in order to run
Will remain open source
9. Project Management
JIRA, Confluence and Tortoise SVN were primarily used
Dropbox, email, text and verbal communication also
used rather extensively
10. Doing it Over Again?
Only major roadblock was Bluetooth connectivity, so getting
that working earlier on would be a HUGE benefit
Focus on software development earlier on so more could be
implemented
Work on documentation throughout the quarter instead of
the majority at the end (stay on top of JIRA updates)
Keep Confluence (or a similar blog) updated regularly; it’s
interesting to us, so it should be interesting to someone
else!
11. Future Goals
Increase sampling rate
Modify GUI to remove unnecessary functions
Allowing tracing over background
Alternatives for IR sensor
More graphical choices for pen
Effects that “follow” the cursor, change the cursor itself,
etc.
12. Special Thanks to:
Antonio Mondragon
Skrum master
Geoff Bastian
Skills in the machine shop
Johnny Lee
Initial idea for the project
