Project Replay is a web based application for displaying robotics simulations, with the following goals in mind:
Platform independence:
Programming languages exist that satisfy this factor of the project’s development. The application if implemented using one of these languages would run natively on the user’s machine. With this approach there would still be the matter of installing the programming language and downloading the executable. Browser based applications on the other hand, are highly accessible to anyone with a web-browser installed and it is the case that most personal computers come with these installed.
Real Time Interactivity:
A prerecorded video places the burden on the videographer to display all appropriate viewing angles and movement. The interactive component of this project will allow the user to control these factors.
Utility to Other Researchers:
A video is useful reference material and can provide valuable insight into the work of another researcher. Production time for a video can have a large impact on the quality of experience. If time is a currency for a researcher than that currency might be better spent on continued research. Thus one aim of this project is provide a useful tool that robotics researchers may use to cut down on the time necessary to produce a consistent demonstration of their findings.
All of these factors -- platform independence, real time interactivity, and utility to other researchers -- have an impact on what the final product is expected to be in terms of usability, availability, and the overall quality.