CoViAn Computer Vision Android

Overview

CoViAn (Computer Vision Android) is a hackable smartphone/tablet robot for K-8 STEM education. A phone or tablet acts as the robot’s AI “eye,” running a custom Unity + OpenCV computer vision app. Motor control is handled by Arduino and programmed with Scratch for Arduino (S4A) — no prior coding experience required.

Total per unit cost: ~$149.99 USD

Hardware

• 2× Continuous rotation servo motors + wheels
• 2× 3/8” plastic ball casters
• 1× Arduino UNO
• 1× HC-06 Bluetooth module
• 1× 9V Li-Ion battery + holder
• 1× Phone/tablet clamp holder
• 1× Android phone (4–6”) or tablet (7–10”)

Software

Scratch for Arduino (S4A) — beginner-friendly block programming for motor control, running on Windows/Mac/Linux.

Custom Computer Vision App (Unity + OpenCV):

Computer Vision Capabilities:

• Face Tracking
• Motion Detection
• Colored Blob Detection
• Colored Line Following
• Fiducial Marker Tracking
• Optical Character Recognition

Other Sensors:

• Speech Recognition
• Accelerometer
• GPS
• Physical buttons

UI Features:

• Computer Vision Configuration Mode
• Direct Arduino Bluetooth Control
• Speech-To-Text Console Log
• Scratch for Arduino integration
• Cute animated robot face