Militarizing Your Backyard With Python and AI 112
mikejuk writes "Kurt Grandis took some cutting edge and open source AI tools, Python, an Arduino and a SuperSoaker and built the (almost) perfect squirrel hosing machine. The project involved Open Computer Vision (OpenCV), an a SVM learning procedure that he trained to tell the difference between a squirrel and a non-squirrel. After 'perfecting' the classifier the hardware came next — a SuperSoaker Mark I was used as the 'water cannon.' A pair of servos were used to aim the gun and a third to pull the trigger."
See it in action at 16:00 (Score:4, Informative)
Before you try to reproduce this... (Score:5, Informative)
I saw his presentation at PyCon a few weeks ago. During Q&A I asked: "My experience with OpenCV has been that it's nearly impossible to use, poor documentation, documentation of a different version of the API, build issues with the libraries. Was I just on the wrong track, or is this a common experience?"
His answer was that it's true that it's very hard to get OpenCV working.
Also note that after a while the squirrels stopped being annoyed by the water gun and would just sit there while getting sprayed.
He did a very nice job of it though! I particularly like the part about using the bushy tail to tell a squirrel from a bird.
Re:Before you try to reproduce this... (Score:4, Informative)
His answer was that it's true that it's very hard to get OpenCV working.
It used to be quite bad, but the Willow Robotics people have taken it over, and now it's supposedly better.
Re:See it in action at 16:00 (Score:4, Informative)
Or you can also just watch that section on youtube [youtube.com]
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Need some kind of disincentive in the water. (Score:4, Informative)
To expand upon this, capsaicin is apparently the peppers defense against mammals
eating the fruit, since they do not spread the seed as optimally for the plant. Birds do
not sense it, so you could even douse the seed in it as a simpler solution.
Re:Need some kind of disincentive in the water. (Score:4, Informative)
...capsaicin is apparently the peppers defense against mammals eating the fruit, since they do not spread the seed as optimally for the plant. Birds do not sense it,...
Actually, a lot of birds do taste capsaicin - and actively like it. We have a blue-crowned conure who likes peppers in general, especially the seeds, but tends to eat only a little of a sweet pepper. But give her a hot pepper of any sort, and she devours it, then goes looking for more. So at least for this species, hot peppers are a real delicacy.
Conures are native to South America, which is also where hot peppers evolved, so this could explain the good match. Parrots from other continents might not be adapted to hot peppers, and might not taste the capsaicin so well. Thus, our cockatiels (native to Australia) also like peppers of any sort, but don't absolutely love the hot ones like the conure does. They'll usually eat one, and then go on to something else for variety.