Face detection and tracking with Arduino and OpenCV

UPDATES

  • Feb 20, 2013: In response to a question by student Hala Abuhasna if you wish to use the .NET Serial class, use the naming convention “\\\\.\\COMn” and replace n with a number > 9 to define your com port for COM ports above 9 such as COM10, COM11, etc.
  • Mar 23, 2012: Featured on Adafruit’s Blog
  • Mar 23, 2012: Featured on Interactive Design
  • Dec 13, 2011: Featured on Floss For Science

Arduino Face detection and tracking
This guide will also be maintained on my blog http://techbitar.blogspot.com/2012/04/face-detection-and-tracking-with.html

INTRODUCTION

In this project I have assembled a face detection and tracking system. You can see the video of the final project here:

Basically, the webcam sends video frames to OpenCV running on a Windows PC. If OpenCV detects a face it will track it and calculate its center’s X,Y coordinates. The coordinates are then passed on to the Arduino via a serial USB connection. The Arduino controls the movement of the webcam with the help of two pan/tilt servos to follow the detected face.

OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision Library: http://opencv.willowgarage.com/wiki/) is an open-source library that includes several hundreds of real-time computer vision algorithms. The OpenCV 2.x library is a C++ API.

This is an integration project between hardware and software tools. The image processing C++ code samples are provided with the openCV library and all I did was to modify the sample code for this project. I removed some of the unnecessary code and added serial communications to it so it can send X,Y values to Arduino.

CREDIT

This project would not have been possible without the team who developed OpenCV. I also benefited from Ryan Owens’ tutorial (http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/304) which is based on Processing, OpenFrameworks, and an earlier version of OpenCV. I tried to install Processing and OpenFrameworks with no luck. So Instead, I opted for Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Express and the latest version of OpenCV which is 2.3.1 without any middleware or wrappers.

TOOLS

Software Required

Arduino IDE 1.0 for Windows
OpenCV 2.3.1 SuperPack For Windows
Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Express SP1
Serial C++ Library for Win32 (by Thierry Schneider)

Code Required

– OpenCV C++ (attached) techbitarFaceDetection.cpp (based on OpenCV’s example facedetect.cpp)
– Arduino’s (attached) cam_servo.ino (based on Ryan Owens’ example SerialServoControl.pde)

Hardware Required

– PC preferably running Windows 7 SP1. The faster CPU the better.
– Arduino Uno or compatible + power source.
– Standard servos X 2.
– Webcam w/UBS interface.
– Breadboard.
– Jumper wires.
– Hobby wire to tie pan/tilt servos and webcam together.

Step 1: Installation and integration issues

1) Download and install the OpenCV-2.3.1-win-superpack.exe if you don’t wish to deal with generating the support files yourself. Everything you need from OpenCV to build this project has already been generated in this download.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/opencvlibrary/files/opencv-win/2.3.1/

2) Download and install Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Express

http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2010-editions/visual-cpp-express

The OpenCV installation documentation explains how to make Visual C++ aware of the OpenCV support files (include, bin, etc). This is not a one-click job. Careful attention must be given to how Visual C++ must be configured to recognize OpenCV files.

The OpenCV team tested version 2.3.1 and Visual C++ 2010 on Windows 7 SP1.  If you are using a different configuration, be prepared for a few hiccups.

[box color=”#985D00″ bg=”#FFF8CB” font=”verdana” fontsize=”14 ” radius=”20 ” border=”#985D12″ float=”right” head=”Major Components in Project” headbg=”#FFEB70″ headcolor=”#985D00″]- PC preferably running Windows 7 SP1. The faster CPU the better.
– Arduino Uno
– Standard servos X 2.[/box]

 

For more detail: Face detection and tracking with Arduino and OpenCV


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

Follow Us:
LinkedinTwitter

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top