This week I wrote the Python code that would carry out the height and angle determination of our system. The process will first need a calibration stage in which the user’s landmark data will be captured when their laptop is at the ideal height. Then, any time the user uses the device again, this data will be used as reference for determining whether to increase or decrease the height and/or angle of the laptop. The program uses an iterative process of incrementally increasing or decreasing the angle of the laptop until the vertical distance between landmarks is approximately the same as the reference distance from calibration, and then switching to adjusting the height of the laptop until the y-coordinate of the landmark at the center of the face is within threshold of the position determined at calibration. This method proved to be pretty accurate even when starting at different heights and angles.
I am also working on a method that uses position of key landmarks on the frame’s coordinate system in order to determine the height and angle adjustments that will be needed. In this method, we wouldn’t need a calibration stage for the user which may be more convenient and faster, but it seems to be less accurate in my testing.
I am currently on schedule and will continue working on this software next week and am planning to have this height and angle adjustment code integrated with the Arduino firmware in order to move the motor and linear actuators according to which adjustment is needed.