Work with USB camera board

Application

  • Motioncube interactive floor with one type of interaction - motion or infrared pen.
  • Required accessories: USB camera, optical filter blocking visible light, infrared illuminator.

General information

USB cameras, due to the convenience of connecting to a computer, are the preferred type of cameras for preparing an interactive floor, using the Motioncube software.

When looking for a suitable USB camera board, use the following criteria:

  • camera boards, without housing - they ensure freedom of installation;
  • cameras with the possibility of disassembly or replacement of the lens - it is easier to mount the appropriate filter and select the lens with the appropriate angle of view;
  • lens without integrated IR-blocking filter - check this right away so you don't have to remove this filter later;
  • priority of speed over resolution - high resolution is not critical for the interactive floor; much more important is the low latency of the transmitted frames.
You can also use cameras with a data transmission protocol other than USB. However, pay attention to the fulfillment of the above-mentioned criteria and to the fact that the camera, after connecting, is directly visible in the operating system.

Additional requirements

Please note that the purchase of a camera board alone may not be sufficient to prepare an interactive floor with Motioncube software. Additional items may be required such as:

  1. Optical filter to block visible light for mounting on the lens.

    Ask the camera manufacturer if they offer lenses with the appropriate filter already installed or if such a filter can be purchased separately. Read more at about filters.

  2. Additional illumination with an infrared illuminator.

    For floors with movement interaction, additional lighting of the projection area is usually needed due to the quality of the image recorded by the camera. Remember to ensure even lighting of the interactive floor space, regardless of the time of day.

    Note that USB board cameras usually do not have integrated IR illuminators. Integrated IR illuminators have CCTV cameras, however, they usually transmit data using a protocol other than USB and are enclosed in dedicated housings, which does not allow for fully free construction.

    Read more about infrared illuminators.

Recommended camera board models

If you want to prepare an interactive floor device that supports all interaction techniques, use the Motioncube IR-Kit.

To prepare a simple interactive floor with the use of Motioncube, which will ensure interaction with movement, we recommend using a camera board ELP with an integrated filter that blocks visible light:

Other USB camera modules that can potentially be used and adapted to work with the Motioncube software:

  • ArduCam cameras (see the manufacturer's website),
  • other USB camera boards that meet the requirements presented on this page (you can search on the Internet).