Running a C++ program (Visual Studio application) remotely through a web server

Question

I have written a big piece of C++ code in Visual Studio 2010 that is basically an OpenCV project. Currently, it exists only on my laptop.

When you run it, it turns on your webcam, captures your photo, tracks your face, detects some facial features, and then saves some measurements and information about the detected facial landmarks.

So far, so good...

I now want to extend this application and perform an international study; i.e. through a web browser such as Internet Explorer, users sitting at home would be able to run this VS2010 application remotely and, using their own webcams, the obtained information by the program is sent back to us and stored on a web server. Presently, I am using WampServer to have a server on my own machine, etc...

I have developed a web page where I can acquire and store the participants details, but I have no idea how to get them to access the program and run it, in order for their facial measurements and information to be captured by the software (that exists only on my machine at the moment).

I am not too sure if I have explained well what I would like to do, so please feel free to ask for clarification. But if you understand what I would like to know and find out, please provide me with tips and guidance.

Thanks in advance,

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EDIT:

I cannot email the participants my C++ application, because (firstly) it contains copyright code and material, and (secondly) it requires installing Visual Studio 2010 on their machines! I want to reach people from all walks of life with just a Windows machine and a regular webcam. So, it has to be done through a web-server and using only a web-page. So, I guess my question is this: Is it possible to run a C++ code (that exists only on one machine/server) through peoples' web-browsers?

Answer 1

Short answer. Yes, possible.

• capture webcam data (java,flash,silverlight,activex,html5 or custom browser native plugin)
• then you send back data to the server which does whatever processing required.