Mars Pathfinder

Software By Fox was contracted to create the graphical user interface for an interactive exhibit currently on display at the Kalamazoo Airzoo. The exhibit contains a full-size replica of the Sojourner robotic rover that was driven on the Martian landscape in 1997. "Mission Control" was simulated by using a large 60" plasma display for mission feedback and a 17" touch screen display for the operator controls. From the touch screen the operator could control the movement of the rover and also control which camera feed was displayed. The selected camera feed was displayed in a large window on the plasma display, along with any warning messages from the rover sensors. Mock atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and surface temperature readings were also displayed on the plasma screen. Although these readings are fake, they are realistic to the actual climate found on Mars. The temperature would change with the time of day and accurately represent a normal temperature on Mars at any given time. Visual Basic 6 was used to code this project, with RS232 serial commands being used to communicate with the rover hardware.

Data Acquisition Software

A research firm contracted Software By Fox to create data acquisition software to be used in alternative fuel research. VB.NET was used to create this software which would receive sensor readings from third party hardware. It can provide real-time graphing of every sensor connected and can simultaniously record this data. The results can be exported to text or Excel files. The software can also perform several calculations on the record data, including instantious power and energy consumption.

Slider Actuator Tester

Wireless Light System

Hummer Wave Display

This project was created for Hummer and is used as a portable display for their H2 and H3 models. This exhibit is composed of a large platfrom broken into 13 different panels that pivot along the center axis of the platform. Each panel is independently controlled by a high power servo actuator. Software By Fox created the software that was used to program the sequences of those panels.

File Release Manager

This software was created for a client that needed a way to automate their digital print releases. This software was created in VB.NET and automatically moves digital files to the correct location while archiving older versions. This software can be used by unlimited users and is fully customizable to the customers requirements. All release actions are logged in and can be easily tracked.

Assembly Line Simulator

For a UAW exhibit currently on display at the Sloan Museum in Flint, MI, Software By Fox was contracted to create the visual interface that instructs the user as to what they are suppose to do. This exhibit intention is to give an accurate representation as to how redundate assembly work can be. This exhibit uses a mock air ratchet that must to placed on 6 bolts in a specific order. The user interface, along with LED indicators, tell the user which bolt to hit next. The user has a certain time limit in which they must complete the cycle and for every wrong sequence or timeout they receive a warning. After 3 warnings the user is fired. The user interface was created using Macromedia Flash and VB6 for hardware communication.