Part of the project was a voice- and touchscreen controlled kiosk software running on the robot.
Initially we were thinking about continuing our XBMC based solution, but soon decided to start from scratch.
XBMC is a great media center but it didn't fit very well with the rest of our solution.
So more out of necessity instead of huge aspirations, we decided to write a small, purpose built software called Simontouch that should - among other features - combine simple multimedia playback with communication features (phone and email).
Simontouch (to be found in the simon-tools repository) uses a QML user interface, Phonon powered video and audio playback, voice and video calling provided by Skype and a simple email client powered by Akonadi and Nepomuk.
Meanwhile, our colleagues at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna have been working on top-notch localization and navigation as well as a great design for the robot:
Our next trip to Pisa is scheduled for the middle of March and we're planning to bring all this technology together for a state of the art assistive robot - powered by KDE.
By the way: We are planning to take part in GSoC again this year. If you have any cool ideas regarding Simon or KDE Accessibility in general, check out the ideas page!
