[open] Running OpenSesame experiment on 30 Android tablets

ile

Hi,

we have created an experiment with OpenSesame and successfully ran the experiment on an Android tablet with OpenSesame Runtime 2.8.3.

The device we are using is Samsung Tab 3 (GT-P5210) and the Android version on the tablet is 4.2.2.

We discovered that placing the experiment file (e.g. experiment.opensesame) in /storage/emulated/0 results in OpenSesame finding the experiment file in /sdcard/. No problem there, the experiment can be driven. The challenge for us is that the experiment will be run several times in a classroom with 30 students, each one with a tablet. Setting up the tablets with OpenSesame Runtime and with the experiment file is easy but we could use some tips on how to make everything easier for the students and the testers:

1. On startup, OpenSesame asks to select the experiment. Could we somehow skip that, since we have only one experiment we are going to run on the tablet?

2. On startup, OpenSesame asks for a subject number. That's ok, but could we somehow omit next dialog that asks for the log file path?

3. In the end, we'll have 30 tablets having several log files. Does anyone have any tips on how to fetch data from the tablets without plugging the cable in each one? They will be connected to a wireless network and I'd be able to setup a Raspberry Pi to collect the data, for instance, after every 30-student session just to backup the data and possible detect errors. On the Raspi, there are plenty of server software choices available, but what would work on the Android?

4. Any other advice on going to classrooms with tablets and OpenSesame Runtime?

Thanks for reading,

Ilkka Kiistala

sebastiaan

Hi Ilkka,

That looks like an interesting project!

In principle, what you ask is all possible, but whether it's feasible depends on how much time you're willing to invest.

If you want to bypass the start-up menu, you'll have to slightly modify the runtime source, and recompile your own .apk package. I did this for example for the Play 4 Science experiment. This isn't that difficult, but it will require a bit of hacking and knowledge of Linux. @EoinTravers is actually working on a way to make this easier, but I think that project is dormant at the moment. You can hit him a line here:

• http://forum.cogsci.nl/index.php?p=/discussion/439/opensesame-mobile-call-for-testers

Regarding the logging. I think it will be easier to set up a server, for example an FTP server, and have the experiment upload the data at the end through WiFi. Again, this will require a bit of networking knowledge, and an accessible server, but it's not that difficult. I can post an example script if you want, again it's what I used for Play 4 Science as well.

Cheers!
Sebastiaan