Hardware
Laptop OS: Windows 11
Camera model: TBD
USB Button: A USB macro button programmed to send ASCII32 to the Software
Stage: A low-profile frame sized for US Letter paper (8.5x11 inches) fixed flat on a table. Camera will be mounted above center of frame, pointed directly downwards.
Flow
Camera, Projector, USB Button are plugged into laptop. Camera is mounted in a fixed position over a stage for sheets of paper to be placed. The stage will have guide rails so all sheets of paper get placed in exactly the same position. Projector will be used to duplicate the laptop display.
Open Interactive Museum Animation software on laptop. When software launches, print dialog box that reads “Press keys 1-5 to change frame rate. Press spacebar or USB Button to snap a photo.”
Software displays 24 images looping at a rate of 12 images per second, which are shared full screen via the projector.
In the museum there will be a collection of sheets of paper with small QR codes in the bottom right corner representing numbers 1-24. Children will draw on the paper, put their paper under the camera, and press space on the laptop or press the USB Button.
When space or USB Button is pressed, camera will take a photo and send it to software.
Software will read QR code representing some number 1-24, and load the photo into the looping image set at the position in the sequence equal to the value 1-24, overwriting the existing image in that position. Loop will continue to play uninterrupted.
Additional requirements
At any point, user may press keyboard keys 1, 2, or 3 on laptop to change image frequency to 8, 12, or 24 images per second respectively. Press 4 to pause the loop on the current image.
Photos from camera will be cropped by the software to the corners of the stage
If user places paper into the stage upside down, software will automatically rotate the image so the QR code is in the bottom right.
If no QR code is visible on the image within the stage corners, the image will not be added to the loop. No error message will be generated.
Only the most recent image for each value 1-24 will be stored.
When software launches, if there is no previous stored image for any value 1-24, an all-black image will be displayed for it.
When software launches, image frequency will be set to 12
Software does not need a preview of the camera feed