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Lesson 12: See Through Your Rover’s Eyes

Now that your rover can nod its camera, let’s give it real vision! In this lesson, you’ll learn how to see exactly what your Mars Rover sees through its camera.

Watch live video from your rover’s perspective as it explores - see Martian landscapes, discover interesting rocks, and navigate like a real space explorer!

../_images/11_camera_image.png

Learning Objectives

  • View live camera footage from your Mars Rover in real-time

  • Combine camera viewing with servo control for interactive exploration

Meet Your Rover’s Eyes: ESP32 CAM

Say hello to the ESP32 CAM - your rover’s powerful vision system! This amazing module is like giving your rover super-smart eyes.

../_images/esp32_cam2.png

The ESP32 CAM does two incredible things:

  1. Takes photos and video of whatever your rover is looking at

  2. Sends the video directly to your phone or computer

It’s like being right there on Mars with your rover! You’ll see everything it sees, in real time. Ready to start exploring through your rover’s eyes?

Exploring Your Rover’s Camera System

  1. Drag a turn camera ON block and click it - watch the stage turn into a live camera view from your rover!

    ../_images/11_camera_on.png

  2. If the camera view appears upside down, use set camera image orientation to inverted to fix it.

    ../_images/11_camera_orientation.png

  3. Need more light? Use turn camera LED ON to activate the camera’s built-in light.

    ../_images/11_camera_led.png

Create Camera Control Buttons

  1. Let’s build a camera control panel! Create four sprites and arrange them neatly.

    ../_images/11_camera_4.png

  2. Program each button:

    • Ball 1: Turns camera OFF

    ../_images/11_camera_1sp.png

    • Ball 2: Turns camera ON and sets orientation

    ../_images/11_camera_2sp.png

    • Balloon 1: Turns LED ON

    ../_images/11_camera_3sp.png

    • Balloon 2: Turns LED OFF

    ../_images/11_camera_4sp.png

  3. Save space by stacking the controls - they’ll pop out when needed!

    ../_images/11_camera_fold.png

  4. Add go to back layer to each sprite - clicking one button reveals the next, creating a cool toggle effect.

    ../_images/11_camera_layer.png

  5. Click the stage expansion button to enter the full control mode.

    ../_images/11_camera_go_stage.png

  6. You’ll now watch live video from your rover’s perspective as it explores - see Martian landscapes, discover interesting rocks, and navigate like a real space explorer!

    ../_images/11_camera_image.png

Camera Control Blocks

  • Turn the camera on or off. When on, the stage shows live video from your rover!

    ../_images/camera_turn.png

  • Control the camera’s LED light - perfect for dark explorations.

    ../_images/camera_led_turn.png

  • Adjust how see-through the camera view appears.

    ../_images/camera_transp.png

  • Flip the camera view if it appears upside down.

    ../_images/camera_orientation.png