Welcome to BlossomNav!
Overview
BlossomNav is a low-cost hardware and software suite for mobile socially assistive robots (SAR) developed at the University of Southern California, Interaction Labs. BlossomNav includes tools for data collection, video parsing, depth and pose estimation, and map creation. It leverages affordable hardware like the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 and its camera, making SAR technology more accessible and user-friendly to the general public.
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Hardware
Current State: Current SAR hardware has accessibility issues due to high costs. These robots often need expensive, sophisticated components, limiting their use to well-funded institutions and large research projects.
BlossomNav: BlossomNav offers an affordable, customizable alternative by using cost-effective, off-the-shelf components. This makes SAR technology accessible for education, research, and hobbyists, broadening its potential impact and enabling more widespread adoption.
Materials List
Click icon below for BlossomNav Instruction Manual
Watch this Video for How to Build BlossomNav
Software
Operating System
BlossomNav uses a adapted version of MotionEyeOS, which is a Linux-based operating system designed specifically for network video camera management. It is able to turn single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi into a dedicated video surveillance system. MotionEyeOS provides a web-based user interface for easy configuration and monitoring, supporting features like motion detection, video recording, notifications, and remote access. It's often used in DIY security setups due to its lightweight nature and extensive camera support.
Below, you can download our modified MotionEyeOS for your Pi Zero 2 W. You can also read more about MotionEyeOS on their github.
Download BlossomNav Image
Joystick
Below is a demo of the joystick app that we created for operating the BlossomNav robot. You can drag the inner circle to control where the robot (grey triangle) is moving inside the environment. The black rectangles are desks and tables and are obstacles that you cannot go through. If you cannot interact with the joystick, you can refresh the page and that should fix it. The joystick uses skid-steering, and you can learn more about skid steering here.
Team
Contact Us
Content for the contact us section goes here.