Electronic Eye Kifu

Yes, it's another sign of my worsening Go addiction.

This one came up during a discussion with Kai. He's in Texas, so we play Go online. One of the complaints we both have with online play is that it lacks the trappings and atmosphere that help make Go aesthetically pleasing-- the small asymmetries and misplacements, the tricks of perspective, the sharp click of a stone on the board.

The Electronic Eye Kifu is an attempt to resolve some of these issues. On the hardware side, it's a simple wooden jig that suspends a small video camera above the board. On the software side, it's some basic image processing code that registers your moves and can send them to a remote opponent via the Go Modem Protocol. It also reads the locations of your opponent's moves aloud, so you can place the stones correctly. (A robot arm would be a little overambitious at this point, and it would spoil the mood.)

Currently, the jig is done, but I'm waiting for a new camera before I proceed. My five-year-old, IR-filter-lacking static-damaged quickcam just isn't going to cut the mustard anymore, as you can see from the shots below (taken with said quickcam).

An overview of the jig.

Closeup of the simple camera mount.

A camera's-eye view.