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This repository contains the source files for the CHeap Arm Project control software.

The robot operates using a Flask (Python) powered webserver hosting a touchscreen compatible tele-operation system. Live images are streamed from the web server, and commands are passed back from the client to a Python web socket listener for handling and transmission using USB2Dynamixel. A Raspberry Pi or similiar is recommended for the project, with DietPI being the preferred Linux distro (due to being mostly empty by default, with an effective setup system and SSH-ready on first boot, i.e. no HDMI or keyboard needed).

1. Install DietPi to an empty SD card, place in Raspberry Pi and power up.

Optional: Edit "dietpi.txt" file on SD card to enter WiFi name and password if using SSH.

2. Follow DietPi onscreen instructions to complete setup.
3. Download and compile OpenCV 3.

Required binaries can be installed on Linux using the following command, Python modules such as numpy and scipy are best installed this way to avoid compiling on the Raspberry Pi:

sudo apt-get install python-dev python-pip python-numpy python-scipy python-serial uwsgi uwsgi-plugin-python nginx

To correctly setup python please run the following commands/install the following libraries:

pip install gevent autobahn[twisted] flask pypot

Using git:

sudo apt-get install git

Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/Mobile-CHAP/controller.git

Enter downloaded folder:

cd controller

Run CHAP:

python CHAP --help

The 'CHAP' module can be run from the parent folder (folder containing the README and LICENSE files) using the following command:

python CHAP --help

The response will list the available commands. Each sub-system (web_server,stream_server,control_listener) must be started for the system to fully work. If devMode is set to 'true' within the settings file, the control_listener will not be used by the client and the control_listener will not connect to Dynamixels.

Modules must be run indivudally in any order using the start command:

python CHAP --start web_server
OR
python CHAP -s web_server

The file 'settings.yml contains the following options:

devMode: true 
dynamixels: #IDs of all used dynamixels.
release:
    serverIP: '192.168.42.1' #IP address of CHAP robot.
dev:
    serverIP: '127.0.0.1' #For testing on local machine.

These can be adjusted based on whether or not development and testing is being done on a local machine while the control listener is not running (such as for HTML/JS development), or over an internet connection with fully CHAP systems in use.

Changes to camera feed such as additional preprocessing or frame usage can be made in CHAP/CHAP_Controller/camera.py. Client side JavaScript is managed in CHAP/CHAP_Controller/static/js/telecontroller.js