By name: camera-describe description: > Use when the user asks what the robot sees, requests a photo or snapshot, wants a description of the surroundings, asks about objects in view, or says "look at X", "what's in front of you", "describe your environment", "take a picture", "scan the area", "can you see X", "show me what you see". version: "1.1" requires: - vision consent: none tools: - get_camera_frame - get_distance max_iterations: 2
Camera Describe Skill
Capture and describe what the robot's camera sees.
Steps
- Call
get_camera_frame()to capture a JPEG snapshot - If depth sensor available, call
get_distance()to get nearest obstacle distance - Describe the scene naturally: objects, colours, layout, notable features
- Include distance context: "The nearest object is approximately X metres away"
- Note any obstacles within 1 metre as a safety observation
If camera unavailable
Return: "My camera is not currently available. I can describe my sensor readings instead if helpful."
Guidelines
- Be specific about what you see — avoid vague descriptions like "some objects"
- Mention spatial relationships: "to the left", "in the centre", "in the background"
- If asked about a specific object, focus your description on finding it
- Do not fabricate visual content if the frame is blank or unavailable
- For object identification questions ("is there a cup?"), scan carefully before answering
References
See references/scene-description-guide.md for spatial vocabulary and lighting callouts.
Gotchas
- Blank/black frame ≠ nothing there — camera may need a moment to warm up; retry once before reporting unavailable
- Depth sensor returns 0.0 — means out-of-range (> sensor max), not "right in front of you"; treat 0.0 as "no valid reading"
- OAK-D proxy latency — first frame after startup can take 2–3s; if
get_camera_frame()is slow, still wait for it rather than aborting - Confusing left/right — camera's left is the user's right if facing the robot; always describe from the camera's perspective, not the user's
- Low light — if the description would be "dark room, can't see much", also report any distance readings as supplementary info
Example
User: "What do you see?"
→ get_camera_frame() → get_distance()
→ "I can see a wooden table in the foreground with several Lego bricks scattered on it. The nearest object is approximately 0.4 metres away. In the background there's a white wall."