sQuid: Observation and interaction in experimental environments

sQuid is an open-source C++/Qt software application designed to observe environments using FireWire cameras (IEEE 1394), while interacting with these environments through a port interface (e.g. IEEE 1284). We envision that this application will be very useful in scientific research as well as robotics.

As an example, we control a system of LEDs and valves while multiple cameras capture visual information from an experiment. Specifically, fruit flies (Drosophilamelanogaster) are placed within a transparent chamber to visualize their behavior (Ramdya et al. 2012). While capturing images from two cameras, we simultaneously control a series of LEDs to excite fluorescence proteins and generate gas flow by controlling a series of valves.