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
Love you guys you are the best !
By the way, next time the robot should be a DINOSAUR!!!
Voici une utilisation très spectaculaire des LEGO Mindstorm, mais je ne peux pas croire qu’on ne peux pas programmer le iPad pour prendre une photo toutes les x seconde tout simplement. Ah la la… un genre de “great” et de “fail” pour le iPad en même temps… tk, il faudra lui donner un nom et le mettre dans une boîte insonorisée. :))) Bravo pour votre patience, votre enthousiasme à trouver des solutions créatives. Très cool !
Did I read Dinosaur from a TV guy ?
We love you too Alain :-)
Wow! Je savais bien que mes Lego MindStorm serviraient plus entre les mains de Tom…
Bravo les gars :)
What a funny way to automate a boring, repetitve task! You guys rock!
Miss you all :)
You all rock. Please more of that. Just nice.
next Arduino stuff?
what about a giant version of this boat who is opening the door at noon ;) :D
Awesome guys :) Well done!
Un travail intéressant autant dans le fond que dans la forme! Avec ce robot Lego, vous avez trouvé une alternative créative à cette mission répétitive, bien joué !
Bande de malades! Ca du être vraiment plaisant à faire. Good job :)
@Sabine: Je leur ai suggéré Instruments (module UIAutomation) qui vient avec Xcode, mais c’est bien moins sexy qu’un robot!
http://developer.apple.com/technologies/tools/
@Sabine: As Hugues mentioned there is in fact a way to automate this using the Instruments tools in XCode.
@Hugues: An automation script for this task had already been written prior to the construction of the robot. I’ve included it below in case it may be useful to someone. The script automates the native UIImagePicker.
var i = 0;
var snaps = 3000;
while(i < snaps) {
UIATarget.localTarget().tap({x:510, y:750});
UIATarget.localTarget().delay(4);
UIATarget.localTarget().tap({x:1000, y:750});
UIATarget.localTarget().delay(4);
i++;
}
[...] in a past life, I have a soft spot for unique application testing methods. Maybe that’s why this story out of Pheromone Labs, an iOS development shop, caught my attention today. The team is building a stop-motion iPad [...]
[...] in a past life, I have a soft spot for unique application testing methods. Maybe that’s why this story out of Pheromone Labs, an iOS development shop, caught my attention today by way of the NXT Step blog. The team is [...]
[...] in a past life, I have a soft spot for unique application testing methods. Maybe that’s why this story out of Pheromone Labs, an iOS development shop, caught my attention today by way of the NXT Step blog. The team is [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig's arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human finger [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig’s arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig’s arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig's arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human finger [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig's arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human finger [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig's arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human finger [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig’s arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human [...]
I remember the RCX! I have a version 2.0 model on my desk, although not built into anything at the moment. Although I thought the 1.0 and 1.5 models had an AC power supply input, and I can’t see it on yours or mine.
[...] been traditional play things of the technically inclined. The folks at Pheromone Lab, however, have taken things to a whole new level by using a LEGO Mindstorm robots to stress test a client’s iPad [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig’s arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human [...]
[...] the gang got creative. Using a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig’s arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, jobs Canada an conducts electricity much as a [...]
[...] a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box, the Pheromone Labs workers rigged up an automated iPad photographer. The rig's arm is equipped with an iPad stylus, which conducts electricity much as a human finger [...]
[...] [Pheromone Lab via TUAW] [...]
[...] [Pheromone Lab via TUAW] [...]
[...] [Pheromone Lab via TUAW] [...]
[...] View the original post here. Share this:EmailTwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. This entry was posted in LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education and tagged LEGO, LEGO MINDSTORMS Education, STEM by legoeducationuk. Bookmark the permalink. [...]
[...] [Pheromone Lab via TUAW] [...]
I love that! That’s just the sort of thing I’d do…
[...] [Pheromone Lab via TUAW] [...]
[...] none seem more pleased with it than Jon Masse, a member of the developer team and the one who blogged about the experience. Arriving at work this morning there were many more people circling my desk than usual. They were [...]
[...] gratified with it than Jon Masse, a part of of a developer group as well as a a single who blogged about a experience. Arriving during work this sunrise there were most some-more people encircling my table than usual. [...]
[...] none seem more pleased with it than Jon Masse, a member of the developer team and the one who blogged about the experience. Arriving at work this morning there were many more people circling my desk than usual. They were [...]
[...] none seem more pleased with it than Jon Masse, a member of the developer team and the one who blogged about the experience. Arriving at work this morning there were many more people circling my desk than usual. They were [...]
[...] [Pheromone Lab by means of TUAW] [...]
[...] none seem more pleased with it than Jon Masse, a member of the developer team and the one who blogged about the experience. Arriving at work this morning there were many more people circling my desk than usual. They were [...]
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[...] Robot Posted on 23/09/2011 by jgarro “Son desarrolladores, trabajan en la empresa francesa Pheromone Lab y recibieron el encargo de una compañía externa para desarrollar una aplicación fotográfica. [...]
[...] una genial idea de unos chicos franceses. Son desarrolladores, trabajan en la empresa francesa Pheromone Lab y recibieron el encargo de una compañía externa para desarrollar una aplicación fotográfica. [...]
[...] exactly what Pheromone Labs did when they were tasked with manually testing the iPad 2’s camera app 10-15,000 times. They [...]
[...] accurately what Pheromone Labs did when they were tasked with manually contrast a iPad 2’s camera app 10-15,000 times. They used [...]
[...] Lego robot. How much cooler can you get than that? (Answer: Not much.) That’s exactly what Pheromone Labs did when they were tasked with manually testing the iPad 2’s camera app 10-15,000 times. They [...]
[...] desarrolladores, trabajan en la empresa francesa Pheromone Lab y recibieron el encargo de una compañía externa para desarrollar una aplicación fotográfica. [...]
[...] exactly what Pheromone Labs did when they were tasked with manually testing the iPad 2’s camera app 10,000-15,000 times. They [...]
[...] exactly what Pheromone Labs did when they were tasked with manually testing the iPad 2’s camera app 10,000-15,000 times. They [...]
[...] exactly what Pheromone Labs did when they were tasked with manually testing the iPad 2’s camera app 10,000-15,000 times. [...]