Tracking a Laser pointer with Python and OpenCV

A recent thread on the OpenCV mailing list (entitled: "Tracking laser dots") discussed techniques that could be used to track the dot from a laser pointer. This sounded like something fun, so I finally got around to trying it out. Essentially this could be done acheived by the following algorithm:

1. Grab the video frame.


2. Convert the video frame to the HSV color space.


3. Split the frame into individual components:
   (separate images for H, S, and V).


4. Apply a threshold to each compenent (hopefully keeping just the dot from the laser). It was originally suggested that just the Hue component be used to search for the laser's dot, but I actually got several false positives doing this. Therefore, using Value in addition to Hue gave me a more reliable result. I can see where finding good threshold values for all 3 components would be a good approach in some situations.


5. Finally, perform an AND operation on the 3 images (which "should" cut down on false positives)

I should note that my testing was performed using a red laser pointer and a large white sheet of paper in an well-lit office. Since I was only tracking the dot on the paper, this turned out to be a fairly easy task to accomplish. Finding good threshold values in other situations would be much more difficult.

Download this Python code: (laser_tracker.zip)

Super Spicy Creamy Veggie Chili

I like food. I like to eat it... I like to make it.

A few days ago I got a craving for some chili, and I almost had all of the ingredients that I needed. What I didn't have, was meat. So, I decided to improvise, and what resulted was the recipe below. It's sure to give all the gastric goodness of any other spicy bowl of chili!

Ingredients:
1 can black beans.
1 can dark red kidney beans.
2 cans RO*TEL extra hot (good stuff!)
1 medium eggplant cut in small cubes.
about 1 cup of cubed cheddar
about 1 cup of sour cream
a hearty dash of chili powder.

Rinse the beans, and put them in a pan with the RO*TEL and the eggplant. Place on Medium heat until the eggplant starts to soften, then add the cheese and the sour cream. Once everything is all melted, it's ready to eat!

It's good with corn chips or crackers, and another dollop of sour cream doesn't hurt either. Enjoy!