Work with USB camera board

General information

USB cameras, due to the convenience of connecting to a computer, are the preferred type of cameras for preparing an interactive projection system, 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.

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.