TWO WAY COMMUNICATIONS Two-way communication is a process by which two people or groups are able to communicate with each other in a reciprocal way. The receiver processes what has been said, and returns with a message that is then received by the initial speaker, allowing both sides in this process to communicate and understand each other.[1] It is not necessary that both the sender and receiver be present at one place while sending the messages. The basic idea behind a two-way communication is that there are two parties involved and each one is able to express itself and receive information from the other. While verbal forms of expression are often important, non-verbal communication and additional feedback is typically used to ensure that each party accurately understands the other one. Modes of Communication There are a number of different ways in which people can engage in two-way communication, often through various devices or mediums. Verbal Communication In the verbal type of communication, the most common method of communicating is verbal medium. This verbal medium could be discussions, presentations, speeches, or words. During this mode of communication the individual tries to reach out their thoughts and ideas by talking to each other.[1] In case of verbal communication the most important is the tone and volume of the speaker. The words should be clear and the meaning of the sentences has to be properly defined. Non-verbal Communication In this type of communication, it represents more of written communication. It also includes various facial gestures, expressions and body movements.[1] When compared to the verbal communication this at times proves to be more effective. The non-verbal communication is a combination of head movements, eye contact, facial expressions and different gestures. Face-to-face contact typically occurs as two or more people are gathered together within the same space and can talk to each other directly. This allows for the greatest possible range of communication, as verbal and non-verbal signals can typically be received.[2] The use of a telephone to facilitate two-way communication can be quite effective, since it allows for inflection and tone of voice to contribute to the meaning of a statement. Digital Communication Technologies Synchronous Communication Synchronous communications are two-way communications in which participants can converse with each other in real-time.[3] Examples of synchronous digital communications: 1. Virtual meetings over Zoom, WebEx, and other telecommunications platforms 2. Live online classes via video conferencing technology 3. Open discussion sessions such as “office hours” 4. Live events, webinars, and communications delivered with video conferencing software 5. Slack chats, threaded discussions, VOIP and video calls (when parties are engaging in real-time) Asynchronous Communication Asynchronous communication is characterized by a lag between sending and receiving messages. Asynchronous communications are back-and-forth exchanges with a delay between messages or one-way communications that can be received by an audience at their convenience. Asynchronous communications also include live streams and broadcasts that are delivered in a one-to-many setting (think Facebook live streams) with a slight delay of a few seconds, just like a live television broadcast.[3] Examples of asynchronous digital communications: 1. Email 2. On-demand video messages 3. Pre-recorded video lessons and training videos 4. Recorded meetings 5. One-to-many live streaming COMPONENT COMPARISON Arduino Arduino is an all-purpose, beginner friendly microcontroller that can do almost any IoT based projects. There are a lot of tutorials and how-to’s that are being shared on the internet to help people getting started on certain project. However, Arduino cannot be used to do a video streaming. Since it only has 2 kilobytes of RAM, which is 0.3% of one frame of 640*480 video, the resolution would have to be in extremely low resolution.[5] Hence, it is not suitable for video streaming or live streaming. ESP32-CAM ESP32-CAM is a camera module with ESP32-S chip embedded into the module. It also have microSD slot to store images or files. However, since the module does not have USB port, it needs another component, an FTDI programmer to upload the code.[6] The module has a built-in 520 kilobytes of RAM and external 4MPSRAM that can support a higher video resolution for video streaming. The module does not have embedded audio system, thus a separate microcontroller needs to be integrated for audio system. Raspberry Pi 3B Raspberry Pi is a mini computer that allows users to do anything that a normal computer can do. It can also be used for building robotics, weather monitoring and much more because of its low cost, modularity and open design, as well as being portable. Raspberry Pi 3B has 1 Gigabyte of RAM and can support resolution of up to 2048x1152 video, which is suitable for portable video streaming as well as live streaming.[7] The 3B also include stereo output port that can be connected to external stereo devices for higher sound quality. [1] https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-two-way-communication.htm#comments [2] https://content.wisestep.com/importance-two-way-communication-workplace/ [3] https://www.panopto.com/blog/asynchronous-vs-synchronous-video-communications- whats-the-difference/ [4] https://livestream.com/blog/livestreaming-vs-internal-conferencing [5] https://www.quora.com/Can-an-Arduino-stream-video?share=1 [6] https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp32-cam-video-streaming-face-recognition-arduino- ide/ [7] https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-3-model-b/
