Logger Web Interface
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We have made progress in creating a usable web interface to the kiteboat and Kite Assist logging systems. The basic idea is that the logger acts as a wireless router and web server. Any wifi-enabled device with a browser can connect to view the logger status, monitor the realtime data stream, and to send control commands to the device network.
Pictured are two Android mobile devices, which are connected to the kiteboat logger and showing realtime telemetry. The phone on the left is displaying the boat speed, line load, and kite inflation pressure. The larger tablet has a “kite” screen selected, which shows the current kite inflation pressure, the target inflation (with +/- pressure adjustment controls), and the battery voltage of the inflation management device. Additional screens will monitor the boat state, cameras, and logger. In the second image, the same devices are shown inside waterproof bags for use on boats.
The display graphics are generated using a web browser, which is receiving data from the server via an AJAX connection. This approach allows any web-enabled device to act as a logger interface. The simple high contrast, large font readout is optimized for easy readability in sunlight. Our testing of several devices has revealed that the Pixel Qi “e-ink” display of the Notion Ink Adam tablet is most readable in sunlight, but that the standard LCD display of the Galaxy Tab tablet is also acceptable. The purely emissive LED display of the Nexus S phone is poorest outdoors, since it has no ability to modulate reflected light and thus gets washed out in sunlight.
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