Rolling Toomer’s Corner is a tradition held near and dear in the heart of every Auburn fan.
The Corner is where Auburn fans of all ages can gather and participate in the most sacred tradition of the University.
It may be a strange tradition to outsiders, but the Auburn Family runs strong across states, countries and across the world.
Whether joining the sea of fans hurling toilet paper at the trees or across the country watching it on TV, each rolling is special.
There are multiple ways to interact with the campus even if a fan is far away.
TV and webcams help a fan feel like they’re in the action, but these technologies are not always accessible.
People crave an instantaneous alert when things are happening or if something special is occurring, and they usually want it on their phones, which are always in sight.
If you’re not near Toomer’s Corner, there is now a way to instantaneously know if the corner is being rolled.
Four mathematicians developed an app that uses images from the corner’s webcam to notify fans when the corner is being rolled.
Fans will soon be able to join in and enjoy celebrating at Toomer’s Corner without having to actually be there.
The group of two Auburn University Ph.D. candidates, an Auburn student and a Tuskegee University assistant professor participated in the Smart Cities Hackathon, which took place in early February.
The Hackathon’s purpose was to create apps that helped cities run smoothly.
Many teams took created apps that focused on going green, detecting traffic, improving restaurants and local areas.
The Auburn team found another way to create an app that benefited the Auburn community.
Team Math Department Team Alpha thought this app would help the city.
For the tech savvy out there, the team used an algorithm called the Canny edge detector to track images then used a gradient vector field to show when change occurred at the corner.
In layman’s terms, the app detects when long pieces of toilet paper are thrown.
The app then sends updates to the website IsToomersCornerBeingRolledRightNow.com and at @IsToomerRolled on Twitter with a simple yes or no answer.
“We were looking for vertical edges, long strips of toilet paper hanging from things and the way to count up vertical edges was to look for more-or-less horizontal gradients pointing at those vertical edges,” team member Zachary Sarver told AL.com. “An image with a lot of horizontal gradients has a lot of vertical edges, which is very indicative of a rolling.”
The app finished in the top two at the Auburn Hackathon and will participate in the global competition.
The program is still undergoing improvements and is not available to download yet, but should be ready in time for football season.
Soon Auburn fans near and far will be able to know exactly when Toomer’s Corner is under toilet paper attack and can join in the fun.
Ashtyne Cole is the intrigue editor for The Plainsman. She can be reached at intrigue@theplainsman.com.
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