Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!karln!karln!karln
From: karln@uunet.uu.net
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Shooting pigeons
Message-ID: <1991Mar25.171303.17211@uunet.uu.net>
Date: 25 Mar 91 17:13:03 GMT
References: <4754@syma.sussex.ac.uk>
Reply-To: karln@karln.UUCP ()
Organization: Sam76 - Pennington NJ
Lines: 58

In article <4754@syma.sussex.ac.uk> peterhi@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Peter Hickman) writes:
>moment of pure insanity I submitted my project as to "Design and build a
>system that that shoot clay pigeon" the basis of the design is that everything
>can be done with a single camera and no more information than a shooter would
>have. There are three broad areas that I have to look at.

   I did not know this was the rec.humor conference :)

>
>    1)  Looking at the whole sky I need to detect significant notion ( other
>        than that of the clouds or trees etc ) where in therory a clay pigeon
>        is flying.

	Do you mean that if the program gets a significant 'notion' it'll open
    fire?  Weeee, I wish i was a student again ...
	
>
>    2)  Locate the clay in the area of activity and find it's centre.
>
     So you'll have to open up with your twelve-gauge on anything that is about
  3 inches long by 1 inch high and moving ....
>
>    3)  Calculate its trajectory and predict where it will be.

    And then shoot at it with devastating accuracy.
>
>    4)  Blast the ****** out of the sky.
> 
   I *really* hope this is a video game. At least a simulation? Salt maybe? 
>
>Point 3 seems to me to be the easiest and point 4 could well be academic as I
>have only 15 weeks as of Monday but what I should do for points 1 and 2 is
>much more open and I would greatly appreciate any references that you may feel
>that could be of help to me. The books I have gone through here on Computer
>Vision and Image Processing do not seem to cover the ground that I require in
>that they all assume static images of toy worlds. I need a mechanics outlook
>on the problems not a theorists at this stage.
>
>Any help greatfully received,
>
>Peter Hi
       ^^-----> Very ...


  Peter, I do wish you much luck with this project. Can I take out a life
insurance policy on you? I hope your device is familiar with Asimovs rules
for robots

1: They shall not though action or in-action allow a human come to harm.

2: They shall not though action or inaction allow a human to harm another.

3: They shall not though action or inaction allow themselves harm.

(i think).

Karl Nicholas 
karln!karln@uunet.uu.net