# PiBot

PiBot transforms any modern browser into a responsive command centre for a ThunderBorg-powered robot. Built on RCWeb's real-time room messaging, it combines live multi-camera vision, precise motor control, rich telemetry, and layered crash prevention in one polished interface that works equally well on a phone, tablet, laptop, or gamepad.

![icon](pwa-512x512.png "PiBot App Icon")

## A complete robot control station

- **Live multi-camera vision:** automatically discovers every camera exposed by the PiBot bridge and lets you switch between them at runtime. Tune resolution, capture rate, preview rate, JPEG quality, image orientation, and idle timeout without leaving the control screen.
- **Flexible video delivery:** stream JPEG frames directly over the RCWeb WebSocket for a fluid live view, or use RCWeb's file proxy as a resilient alternative. Fullscreen mode turns the camera itself into an immersive gesture-drive surface.
- **Precision motor control:** drive with a touch joystick, keyboard, or connected gamepad. Differential mixing gives smooth forward, reverse, turning, and pivot control, with live left/right motor output feedback.
- **Advanced motor tuning:** configure the overall drive limit, supply and motor voltage limits, reverse-voltage limit, minimum starting voltage, independent acceleration and deceleration damping, and motor update interval.
- **Real-time sensor telemetry:** see left and right distance readings overlaid directly on the camera view, alongside ThunderBorg battery voltage, Wi-Fi signal strength, RCWeb connectivity, and robot availability.
- **Layered crash prevention:** set a collision-stop distance so proximity sensors can halt unsafe forward movement. Low Wi-Fi signal protection and the optional communications failsafe add further automatic stop conditions if a reliable control link cannot be maintained.
- **Instant visual feedback:** distance warnings and weak-signal alerts stand out in the live view, while the camera and connection indicators make stale video or a disconnected robot immediately obvious.
- **On-board lighting control:** choose the ThunderBorg LED colour directly from the dashboard for status signalling, identification, or a little extra personality.
- **Runtime configuration:** apply camera, sensor, motor, safety, and LED settings through the browser while the robot is operating, with accepted values synchronised back from the bridge.

## Designed for confident driving

The main display keeps the video feed, proximity readings, battery level, wireless health, and connection state visible at a glance. The touch controller uses proportional tank-drive mixing, while fullscreen gesture control lets a phone or tablet become a natural first-person driving console. Keyboard and gamepad support make PiBot just as capable from a desktop control station.

Safety is built into the driving experience rather than added as an afterthought. Releasing or losing a pointer issues a stop command, gamepad disconnects stop active movement, regular heartbeats maintain control-link awareness, and configurable sensor, Wi-Fi, and communications safeguards help bring the robot to a halt before a loss of visibility or control becomes a collision.

## How to use it

1. Start the RCWeb server and open `/pibot/?r=<room-id>` on the device you want to use as the controller.
2. Start the PiBot Python bridge with the same room ID, for example `--room <room-id>`.
3. Select a camera, choose your preferred preview transport, and drive using the touch pad, fullscreen camera gestures, keyboard, or gamepad.
4. Expand the Camera, Motor, and Sensor panels to tailor performance and safety settings to the robot and its environment.

## How it works

The browser communicates with the companion Python bridge entirely through standard RCWeb room messages. The bridge publishes robot, camera, sensor, battery, and Wi-Fi state; accepts drive, stop, lighting, subscription, and configuration commands; and provides camera frames either as WebSocket image data or through RCWeb's `/x-file/` proxy. Camera subscriptions are tracked per client, so disconnected viewers are pruned and the camera can stop automatically when no one is watching.