TV Remote Control based on Head Gestures

No! The project is definitely not dead. We've just been too busy to update things here. To the people following our project, I apologize for that. However, I have good news :) 

The first one is that now I have a Master degree, so I'm a MSc. in Computer Science. But I still have almost no free time because I've joined the PhD program, so I'm still a busy student ):

Regarding the project, I have 2 good news:
-  PWM now appears to work on C.H.I.P.. We didn't even have to mess with the DAC from audio output pins. It works on pin PWM0 (pin U13_18). This means that both Arduino and Bluetooth connection are no longer need (theoretically, since everything together wasn't tested yet).
- Speech recognition in Brazilian Portuguese now works as standalone way of controlling our Samsung TV. Pocketsphinx package does the job. I'm gonna create another project describing the step by step procedures to use voice commands as an offline input interface of control.

-- CB.

Right now, Erick is working his @ss out to make LIRC work on C.H.I.P.. The community has found a very strange way to make the PWM work on C.H.I.P.: via audio output pin. If everything goes well, the Arduino will be removed from the project soon. No more Bluetooth connection, no more IRremote lib... the $9 USD microcomputer will be the main, exclusive embedded platform of the remote control system.  We actually want that to happen because it will have an impact in the total cost of the project. 

I'm finishing my graduate thesis, so I'll be a Master of Science next month! Which also means I'm pretty fuc*ed up right now! If someone is seriously following our project and awaiting updates, I do apologize. Things will get better, I promise (actually, I hope).

-- CB.

We spent the weekend producing the video for the contest. It's already on Youtube, an also attached on the proper section of our project's page.

-- CB.

I just created an account on imgur.com so I can upload pictures of the project without flooding the files section. I added the path as an external link to my Imgur album, as well as my Github link.

PS.: I'm now mentioning Kicad at the details section. I totally forgot we (Erick, mainly) had used it to design the PCB for our wireless, AT switch. He also took a picture of his "physical tools" used for soldering. Check it out: 

Toner transfer rocks.

-- CB.

I just finished the sections of head gesture recognition and infrared protocol emulated by the Arduino to send commands to the TV.  I think both sections are complete now. I have some troubles while editing the instructions, because everytime I try to do it, the images  I've uploaded previously simply disappear; and the code snippets never separate some block routines by a blank line space. It's boring to keep uploading images everytime I try to do a single modification, but... we gotta go anyway.

I owe you the section about the communication via Bluetooth with C.H.I.P. and Arduino. That's my next step before uploading the video for the final round!

-- CB.

Components list upadated and added in Files section a PDF file with prices of each components used in this project

All kicad project PCB used in this project added in Files section

I updated the repository in github. All HPE's codes are commented. In addition all circuits used in this project

I forgot to mention that 3 blogs have published reports (don't know if this is the correct word in English, but...) about our project! I'm sharing the links here. Some time I will find a place to them in the middle of the description section.

https://blog.arduino.cc/2017/09/16/controlling-a-tv-with-head-movements/

https://hackaday.com/2017/09/03/hackaday-prize-entry-remote-control-by-head-gestures/

https://blog.hackster.io/head-movement-remote-control-with-c-h-i-p-and-arduino-93e89cf481c5

Since Erick is making his presentation for an event in University, we created another schematic of the project. It was added to the details section. A masterpiece!