USB chess: why can't this technology replace dgt board

[hgm]

Recognizing a setup position might be difficult, but if the program can watch the board while the position is being setup, it might still be feasible. Putting the piece on the board is not very different from making a move. You might have to identify the dropped piece, though, but I could imagine this could be done by measuring the height. If not, you could require that positions are setup starting with all pieces next to the board in a prescribed order, so that the program can see which one you grab.

Another way would be to mount the camera straight above the board, and determine piece type by measuring the diameter of the base. Even with 640x480 resolution a square could be 60x60 pixels, and it should be possible to resolve size differences that are ~2% of the square size.

I never said it would be easy, or that it would have to work automatically with each conceivable Chess set. (You could train it on a particular Chess set first.) But if it is possible to render detailed 3D images including shadows and reflections by ray tracing, it seems to me the opposite should be well within reach. There seems to be software that you just present images taken from 3 different directions of an object, and it determines a polygon model of it for 3D rendering. With such a model of the Chess set, when you can recognize that something appeared on a certain square you could simply have your 3D rendering engine generate an image with every possible piece on that square, and compare the generated pictures pixel by pixel with the scene actually seen by the webcam, to determine which one matches best.

[Karmazen & Oliver]

I like you post

good post.

bye.

[sje]

See: http://homepage.mac.com/chessnotation/graysquares.jpg

[tiger]

See: http://homepage.mac.com/chessnotation/graysquares.jpg

Unbelievable but true. I have just checked with the Gimp!


// Christophe

[Steve Maughan]

See: http://homepage.mac.com/chessnotation/graysquares.jpg

WOW!!!! This is the best optical illusion I have ever seen!!

Steve

[jshriver]

Nice link, Im planning to get one now. When I do acquire it Ill try and write a xboard translator so it can be used with normal programs and engines. Looks like a wonderful piece of hardware.

Despite the cricism, Im not concerned if its autosensory or if you have to press down on it. As long as its a world device that lets me interactively place chess against a computer then it has my vote.

Will be interesting to see

Have a good evening everyone, nice to be back in the scene from my hiatus.
-Josh

[jshriver]

That is pretty amazing. I had my doubts when I looked at it, even used my fingers to cross out adjacent squares, still looked different.

Alone and behind I load it up in gimp and its true.
The background color on both images is #6b6b6b

Nifty stuff, thanks for the link.
-Josh