Press Releases
Braintech Exhibits New Vision Software for Service Robots
Technical Preview Version Developed to Work With Microsoft(R) Robotics Studio
June 12, 2007
NORTH VANCOUVER, BC - Owen Jones, Braintech's CEO, states, "We're very pleased with the initial feedback we received last month at the RoboBusiness Conference in Boston, so we decided to move forward and introduce a CTP version for service robot researchers, enthusiasts and early adopters at the Robot & Vision Show being held this week in Chicago." Jones further says, "VOLTS-IQ is designed to work with Microsoft Robotics Studio and interested parties who haven't already downloaded Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) software can do so at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/robotics/aa731520.aspx ."
"With the VOLTS-IQ CTP and accompanying tutorials we've made it possible for robotic developers to gain an understanding of the awesome power of visually intelligent robots. In return we expect lots of feedback as to what visual capabilities they value the most," says Babak Habibi, Braintech's CTO. Habibi also explains, "It is important to realize that we view the CTP as only the beginning and we plan to release many more exciting and powerful Visually Intelligent ('VI') services in the coming months."
For the current CTP, the company focused on providing one of the most essential vision capabilities needed by every robot: the ability to recognize and track an object or distinct pattern. The Vi_Tracker(TM) service which is part of the CTP can be trained on various targets by simply drawing a box around the pattern or target of interest. The algorithm then begins to follow the target as it moves around in the image. Examples of objects to track include household items such as a television remote, a book or a soft drink bottle as well as artificial targets marking the placement of points of interest such as the robot's charging station. As long as the target has some distinct texture or appearance, the Vi_Tracker(TM) service can recognize and localize it within the image, providing its coordinates and rotational angle.
In the weeks following the CTP release, the company plans to release related services including an optimized web cam service called, Vi_Webcam(TM) and various tutorials expanding on the usability of VOLTS-IQ services. As an example, one tutorial will show users how to use the target tracking capability of the Vi_Tracker(TM) service to drive a virtual robot in the Microsoft Simulation Environment and another takes things a step further and uses the Vi_Tracker(TM) to aim a toy missile launcher, to follow then intersect a tracked target. The CTP is available as a free download subject to evaluation and non-commercial usage licensing terms. To view the latest VOLTS-IQ developments or to download the CTP, documentation and tutorials please visit www.volts-iq.com and sign up for a free user account.
The Robot & Vision Show will be held at the Donald E. Convention Center, Rosemount (Chicago), IL June 12-14, 2007.
Braintech's exhibit is booth #515. Microsoft's exhibit is booth #2154. (Go to http://www.robots-vision-show.info/robots_vision_show_info.html for more information)
About Microsoft Robot Studio
About Braintech VOLTS-IQ
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
VOLTS-IQ, VI_Tracker, and VI_Webcam are trademarks of Braintech Inc. and its subsidiaries
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