Connecting a webcam to the BeagleBone Black

In order to enable computer vision, you'll need to connect a USB web camera to the USB port. Most standard USB webcams will work. This example uses a Logitech HD 720.

Here are the steps:

1. Check if your USB webcam is connected. You'll do this using a program called guvcview. Install this by typing sudo apt-get install guvcview.
2. Connect your USB camera and power up the BeagleBone Black. After the system is booted, go to the /dev directory and type ls. You should see the following screenshot:
   
3. The video0 device is the USB webcam. If you see its entry in the directory, then it means the system can access your camera.

Now you can use guvcview to see images from the camera. Since these are graphic images, you'll need to use either a monitor connected directly to the BeagleBone Black or the remote graphics connection VNC server. If you want to use the remote connection, make sure you start the server on the BeagleBone Black by typing vncserver...