Inspiration
Our members enjoy many forms of trading card games and collectables, and have found ourselves troubled with sorting our collections in an organized fashion, yet as quickly as possible. We then came up with a solution for collectors of all kinds, the CSISx100!
What it does
The CSISx100 is a device where you slot up to 100 trading cards. The device then feeds them, one at a time, into a chamber where a camera takes an image of the front of the card, recognizes key features of the card to identify it among the collection, then stores those features in a database readable by the user.
How we built it
Using available materials, we created a motorized feeder into a camera 'slot' where a camera captures the image of the card. The motor is powered and controlled via Arduino, and the rest is controlled via python program on the host computer.
Challenges we ran into
The main challenge our team faced was the image detection of the card name. For our test cards, we used Magic: The Gathering cards, which can be identified via Title and Set ID. The libraries we used in the beginning were unreliable and spotty with results, and led to us eventually upgrading and using Google Cloud services for Image to Text detection. Another challenge was detecting the Set symbol among the rest of the features on the card, as well as utilizing image processing to separate the symbol to compare it versus other pre-stored data images.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Our largest accomplishment is creating a working, compact initial prototype from scratch using the limited materials available to us at HackHarvard. Our team also had to face many steep learning curves, as we are new to image processing and using hardware in conjunction with software to create a working product.
What we learned
We learned many things, some of which include image processing via python, team coordination, and design and execution of a new product. These things will allow us to expand our knowledge in the future and increase our competitive nature at future hackathons.
What's next for Card counter 100
Our team plans to take our product to the next level, upgrading from scavenged materials found at HackHarvard to a 3D printed model that is a much better representation of our product. We also plan on improving our code to use for our personal collections, as well as to expand to other card games and collections, ending with a patented product that will be sold to consumers world-wide.
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