If the brain is the human computer and it has limited memory. Wouldn’t it be nice to conserve that memory for the most memorable moments? And if time is so invaluable, why do we spend it on things that bore us? Ever since I can remember I have always looked for the better, faster and easier way to accomplish a task. The phrase “Work smarter not harder” has stuck with me since the first day it graced my ears. Some might say that my quest for efficiency is an obsession. They may be right.
When the time came to load test our client’s iPad2 stop motion application using over 10,000 photos. I immediately thought of a way to automate the process. I mean, who really wants to sit and manually take 10,000 photos? The idea was simple: build a set of arms driven by a motor. The arms would then simulate a user taking photos with the iPad. After discussing the idea with our resident rock star and creative genius Mathieu Savage, we located a Lego Mindstorm set belonging to our champion story teller and master of analytics Tom Boutet. Of course we can’t forget the key donation made by the always ready to jump into a suit and worlds most relaxed project manager Joey Fraser. Who donated one of his iPad stylus pens.
They say “birds of a feather flock together”. Well, crazy birds like us flock to Pheromone. A breeding ground for creativity and intelligence where people are artists, free to create, experiment and innovate. That said, it was no surprise that no sooner had the idea left my lips we had plans to meet up and get started on our iPad2 user simulator.
Arriving at work this morning there were many more people circling my desk than usual. They were all curious to see what kind of insanity the team had cooked up this time. And there it was sitting on my desk chugging along snapping pics not phased by the attention it was getting. A perfect example of creative automation.
UPDATE: We appreciate all the comments and feedback we’ve been getting all around the web regarding our experiment. We do have a UIAutomation script that can accomplish the job, but it’s not as fun as our little bot. Shortly after the making of our robot I decided to make a more efficient version, just for kicks. You can find the video at the bottom of the page.
The Robot (English version) from Pheromone Lab on Vimeo.
Le Robot (Version Française) from Pheromone Lab on Vimeo.
left to right Tom Boutet, Mathieu Savage, Jon Masse
This is the DIY version
56 opinions
[...] used a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box to hack their bot together. The workers rigged an automated iPad photographing ‘bot. The rig is equipped with a capacitive iPad stylus, which triggers the photo capture in the app. [...]
[...] used a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box to hack their bot together. The workers rigged an automated iPad photographing ‘bot. The rig is equipped with a capacitive iPad stylus, which triggers the photo capture in the app. [...]
[...] | 4. Oktober 2011 von David | 0 Kommentare Pheromone Labs musste ein iPad-App testen. Es handelte sich dabei um eine Stop Motion App. Es sollten über 10.000 [...]
this post really needs the vid/img in the excerpt.
cool stuff! maybe next time you can use MegaBloks? ;)
Caleb,
we used what we already had in our office. If you send us a big box of MegaBloks, I’m sure we’ll find an innovative way to use them :-)
@Philippe aha, well I have homework then :)