So far, a couple people have subscribed to my project, which is really cool. Thank you all for following my project updates- it's good to know that people are interested.

I have recently been going through tutorials in OpenCV, as can be seen on Ramrod's Github, and I have also been planning the first prototype. One of the important parts of this project is that I need to make all of the separate pieces work together. This means that I must be able to test out the individual parts before I can work on the final product.

For that reason, I have been working on coming up with a prototype to test out the software side of Ramrod. The actual mechanics of the prototype will be quite simple, consisting of only three stepper motors, assorted plastic and metal parts, cans, and a PVC frame, with the scanner on top. However, the value of the prototype will be that it will provide testing of Ramrod's software and that it will prove that Ramrod is a feasible project.

After a couple iterations, I came up with a quick sketch of what the prototype will look like:

Right now, I am measuring parts for the prototype, which will be low-cost due to my budget. I'm working on establishing a bill of materials and a CAD file, and I will get those out as soon as I can.

Also, I just set up a Flickr album with ALL of Ramrod's pictures, not just the ones on the main project page. If you want, you can take a peek at all of the images on there- I just made it public.