bird away — Automatically spray birds to keep them away

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About this project

Bird Away transforms a simple Raspberry Pi into a vigilant guardian for pools, utilizing an RTSP camera to detect birds. Upon detection, it activates a sprinkler system to deter them, while capturing images and videos for further insight. The option to upload footage to Cloudflare R2 enhances accessibility and monitoring from anywhere.

Overview

bird-away is an innovative Raspberry Pi service designed to protect pools from unwanted avian visitors. Leveraging an RTSP camera, this service can detect birds and respond by activating a sprinkler system to discourage them. Each incident of detection captures both a still image and a short video clip, which can optionally be uploaded to a Cloudflare R2 bucket, providing remote viewing capabilities.

Key Features

Automated Bird Detection: Using an RTSP camera combined with an AI model from OpenRouter, the system can identify the presence of birds near your pool.
Sprinkler Activation: Upon detection, the service triggers a sprinkler system via GPIO-controlled relay, startling the birds and keeping your pool area bird-free.
Media Capture: Each detection result is saved as a still image and a video clip, ensuring that you have a record of the events.
Cloud Integration: Optional publishing to Cloudflare R2 allows for easy access to media from any internet-connected device, with a free tier suitable for typical use.
Web Dashboard: The service includes a self-contained web dashboard for visualizing detection events and media stored in R2, providing an intuitive timeline of bird activity.
Real-time Monitoring: Offers a live view of frames captured during the last 30 minutes, helping to ensure no avian activity goes unnoticed.

Hardware Requirements

To set up bird-away, the following hardware is needed:

A Raspberry Pi 4 (or earlier) connected to Wi-Fi.
An RTSP-capable IP camera that is accessible on the same network.
A relay module connected to a GPIO pin on the Raspberry Pi for controlling the solenoid valve of a sprinkler.
A solenoid valve powered by a separate power supply.
(Optional) Temperature and humidity sensors for additional environmental monitoring.
A manual trigger switch for immediate sprinkler activation.

Configuration Options

The system can be customized through configuration files:

.env: Contains sensitive information such as your OpenRouter API key and RTSP stream URL.
config.yaml: Customize operation parameters such as detection intervals, relay behavior, spray durations, and more.

Remote Media Publishing

With Cloudflare R2 support, each detection's snapshot and video can be uploaded for easy access. This service offers S3 compatibility and ensures cost-effective cloud storage.

Dashboard and Visualization

The service maintains a manifest.json file in the R2 bucket, which acts as an index for the last 500 detection events. Its web dashboard allows users to:

Monitor live status.
View event thumbnails, complete with timestamps and trigger types.
Filter events by date or detection type.
Click on event cards to view detailed images and videos.

Maintenance and Reliability

The design incorporates features for prolonged unattended operation:

Watchdog Mechanisms: Software and hardware watchdogs ensure system reliability and automatic restarts in case of failures.
Minimized SD Card Writes: Optional configurations protect the SD card from excessive wear by utilizing in-memory storage.

Conclusion

bird-away represents a remarkable solution for bird control around pools, combining hardware and intelligent software to provide an efficient deterrent system. By leveraging cloud technology, it also ensures that users can access their media remotely, keeping the pool area secure without compromising on convenience.