Chapter 4. Vision and Image Processing

Now that your tracked platform can move around, you'll want to add a more complex sensor to provide information to it—the webcam. Using a webcam, you can allow your robot to see its environment. You'll learn how to use a powerful open source software platform called OpenCV to add powerful vision algorithms to your robotic platform.

In this chapter, you will be doing the following:

• Connecting a webcam
• Learning image processing using OpenCV
• Discovering edge detection for barrier finding
• Adding color and motion detection for targeting

Connecting a webcam to the BeagleBone Black

In order to enable computer vision, you'll need to connect a USB web camera to the USB port. Most standard USB webcams will work. This example uses a Logitech HD 720.

Here are the steps:

1. Check if your USB webcam is connected. You'll do this using a program called guvcview. Install this by typing sudo apt-get install guvcview.
2. Connect your USB camera and...