This is our new driver station for the 2015 season. The projector projects our live camera feed from the robot onto the white screen which reflects onto the angled poly-carbonate panel. Our driver looks through this panel to see the camera image. This allows him to see the feed from the camera without having to look away from the robot to the laptop.
What exactly is the projector used for? A heads up display?
That’s a very interesting method for making a hud. Any reason you didn’t just set up a second monitor? Or was there no way to properly fit that?
Our driver would not be able to look through a monitor at the robot on the field… that’s the point of a Heads Up Display.
Our driver would not be able to look through a monitor at the robot on the field… that’s the point of a Heads Up Display.
Sorry. I thought it obvious I was saying to replace that paper with a monitor. That way you keep the polycarbonate but you don’t have the operators hands wiggling on your hud.
Can we get an image of what the HUD/camera feed would look like to the driver? Do you superimpose anything (sensor data, etc.) on top of that feed?
We tried using a smaller projector but it was not bright enough. I think adding a monitor mounted up high like that was complexity we were trying to avoid. The driver station weighs a lot as is as well. Having that kind of weight mounted up high didn’t seem worth it.
I do not believe we superimpose anything. Our driver doesn’t really need to look at anything other than the camera feed and the robot itself on the field as most of the functions that need sensor input is automated. I don’t believe we have a picture showing the display from the drivers perspective but we will try to get one.
This makes me want to install a camera on our robot just to put something like this on the driver station. It’s a truly awesome setup, well done!
I’ve wanted to use a H.U.D. on our driver station for years, but I could never justify the purchase of the projector.
I had always thought that the miniature size of a “pico” projector would work best but it sounds like you tried that or something similar? Did the projector set up need to be super bright for this to work?
Did you all like this set up?
Wish I had checked this out at Arkansas. Opportunity missed 
Does your driver have any issues looking to the left with this configuration? It seems like it would be a problem to me.
Ideally you would probably want the projector mounted on the bottom facing up like aircraft usually do, but in this case it looks like space is an issue without getting really creative with some mirrors or a smaller projector that isn’t as bright.
is there really enough room to set this up at the competition? And how do you handle the power for the projector? It’s a cool idea, reminds me of the camera lucida set up we used to use for drawing…
Love the idea! 
There was another team that did something similar to this, but used a product similar to Google Glass instead of a bulky projector, and I believe the right glasses lens was used for projecting the image onto, but the other one was unoccupied so that the driver could properly see through it.
I remember questioning one of your drivers when we were allied together at Midwest - I love the idea! Looking forward a picture of it from the driver’s perspective.
I would love to get Google glass for our driver with a ported smartdashboard/ camera view for our driver, maybe also showing a game clock. I could probably justify the expense for the team, but I think it would end up being more of a novelty than helpful, and it would be a lot of work to get all of the stuff ported correctly.