2. Table Of Contents
• Staff qualifications
• Struggles of the Kinect
• Success of the Kinect
• Composition of the Kinect
• The uses of the Kinect Arm
• Deliverables
• The Gantt Chart
• Final Thoughts
• Q&A
3. Staff Qualifications
• Steve Scriver
• James McNamara
• Tristan Orlowski
James McNamara
Steve Scriver
Tristan Orlowski
X N T P
E S F J
E N T P
4. Struggles of the Kinect
• The original idea of the Kinect was a
motion sensor glove.
• The glove would have Data logged
the actions alongside a Gyroscope,
Accelerometer, SD Data Logger, and
a set of 6 flex sensors.
• Due to the Chinese post office being
on strike, time constraints hindered
the project.
• Alongside the cost of reliable flex
sensors, the project was scrapped
and our project was re-scoped.
5. Struggles of the Kinect
• With the discovery of using the Kinect
as a sensor we had a new perspective
on the project.
• Thus began the struggles of
completing a proper interfacing system
with the Kinect.
• Microsoft Visual Basic and SDK studio,
which at the time seemed like a saving
grace turned out to be a difficult over
complicated battle.
• Going through this once again caused
frustration and confusion, but through
perseverance we found some old posts
that directed us to some abandoned
programs.
6. Struggles of the Kinect
• Struggles and success was the
rollercoaster ride of this project, the
final struggle being the ScorBotVII.
• We became very excited at the chance
to work with a real robotic arm with
our program, the only problem was
that it was an analog motor system.
• Many circuits from many classes were
made to attempt to have a DC motor
act like a servo, signal driven.
• Though we do have a circuit, the
Scorbot was left out and somebody
tampered with the machine ruining a
few pins on the RS232 cables bringing
our working motor count from 3 out
of 6 to 2 out of 6.
• Deeming this unacceptable and less
impressive of a project we once again
re-scoped and set ourselves up for
success!
7. The Success of the Kinect
• Though there were many
setback on the road to
completion success was had!
• After using old programs such
as “Processing” an old port of
the Arduino program.
• The use of outdated java
settings, and poorly
translated links dawned the
birth of our Kinect controlled
arm.
8. Composition of the Kinect Arm
• The Kinect arm consists of only a few
items, much found around the house
to show that a professional project
can be created from perseverance
and creativity.
• The Kinect itself is of course a main
component.
• The laptop we are using is also very
much needed. This acts as a
communicator between the Kinect
and Arduino Uno.
• The Arduino Uno, the device that
communicate to our servo motors.
• Servo motors, these move our
robotic arm via a PWM signal from
the Arduino Uno.
• Foam core, the body of the arm. As a
prototype, it can easily be
substituted for a heavier chassis if
the proper servo motors are present.
9. The uses of the Kinect Arm
• The thoughts surrounding the arm,
is the practicality of the machine.
Where would it be used?
• In or near radiation
• Inaccessible areas for a human
• Situations in which a humans
strength is not useful.
• Space
• The evolution of the hands free
robot could also be built upon and
in the near future be used in a
more intricate or challenging
situation.
• Our second thoughts on the
project was, with a sensor that is
so powerful would we one day be
able to mimic the use of hand via
motion tracking.
• Household applications in which a
robot could have preprogrammed
regiments for the average person
is also a thought.
10. The Objectives of the Kinect Arm
• Objective 1: Interfacing
• Objective 2: Reaching desired results
• Objective 3: Creating the proper schematic for the arm
• Objective 4: Assembling the arm
• Objective 5: Having a demonstrable prototype
11. Accomplishments of the Kinect
• Something to call our own: when the heats died down
and the smoke clears, we have indeed created a
functioning robotic arm.
• The gratification of not only completing our first real
tangible and home made arm, but the ability to use it for
recognition by employers.
• Knowing that some day the Kinect arm may indeed
become practical and useful in harsh work environments.
• The ability to enjoy small successes, and bounce back
from temporary failures.
12. Deliverables
• Functioning limbs to represent robotic movement
• Working interface between the Arduino and Kinect
• Synchronized movements of servos
13. Team Gantt Chart
The Gantt chart shows our teams action plan, meetings, and reliances on situations to
advance to the next stage of our project.
14. Final Thoughts
• Though the path was long and
full of difficulties, the project
was complete. At the end of it,
it wasn’t really about the final
product more the journey.
We’ve all learned how to work a
little better with a team, know
our role and in certain situations
go above and beyond your own
area of expertise or experience.
• I wish you all very much luck in
your careers and endeavors,
with that said I myself look
forward to a career full of
challenges and success that was
much learned in this Robotics
Project class.
