Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
10 Automated Video Capture Bird Feeder with Data Collection
 Colten Brunner
John Golden
Kevin Li
 Nikhil Arora design_document2.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
photo1.jpg
photo2.jpg
presentation1.pptx
proposal2.pdf
video
# Automated Video Capture Bird Feeder with Data Collection

Team Members:
Kevin Li (kli56)
Colten Brunner (cbrunner)
John Golden (jgolden4)

# Problem

Many nature enthusiasts enjoy watching birds outside of their windows with homemade or store bought feeders. This practice has been going on for many years, but until recently it has been impossible to see the birds feeding without being present. With modern day technology, it has become possible to mount cameras onto or adjacent to bird feeders in order to see birds feeding, but in the new era of information technology, there should be more to bird feeders than simple footage. We seek to add onto an automated video capture system by including data capture to analyze when peak feeding hours occur. This problem is one that occurs for common bird watchers and ornithologists alike. Whether it is knowing when to sit in front of your bird feeder or wanting to collect feeding data in specific areas, this is a problem that necessitates a solution.

# Solution
The solution we propose involves a bird feeder that has a camera to turn on when motion is detected. The idea is to have an ultrasonic transducer that would trigger a camera to record for a given set of time if motion is detected. In addition specific data points that would be beneficial to nature enthusiasts would be acquired and stored. These would include time intervals when birds arrive to identify peak bird times and would be stored along with the video footage on an sd card.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1 - Video Capture

This subsystem focuses on capturing video footage triggered by the ultrasonic transducer. Components include: An ultrasonic transducer to detect motion and alert the camera to start recording, a microcontroller for processing video data and triggering the camera system as well as transmitting bird tracking data, and a camera that will take videos of the birds feeding.

## Subsystem 2 - Data Collection

Data Collection will be important to the end user and so require a separate system to ingest the data and store it properly for later usage. This will require connections to other subsystems to check for example if the camera is turned on and will require a storage component in addition to a processing unit.

## Subsystem 3 - Power System

A power system is required to power the other subsystems and during testing this will be done through dc power supply with potentially additional voltage regulations. Ideally in the final project all subsystems would be powered by a battery pack.

## Subsystem 4 - Bird Feeder

The bird feeder subsystem is the physical enclosure that stores the bird seed as well as houses all the electronic components. This means that fire hazard concerns need to be taken into account as well as protective measures for the camera due to the outdoor location of the bird feeder. The camera also needs to be protected from the elements while still maintaining unimpeded motion capture.


# Criterion For Success

-Video footage of birds feeding is successfully captured and stored in specific time intervals.

-The motion detector is sensitive to birds and wildlife, minimizing unnecessary background "noise."

-A collection of the time intervals when the birds would arrive for feeding and have the peak times the birds are out.

-The bird feeder successfully distributes food into the “feeding area” until the reservoir is completely empty.

Covert Communication Device

Ahmad Abuisneineh, Srivardhan Sajja, Braeden Smith

Covert Communication Device

Featured Project

**Partners (seeking one additional partner)**: Braeden Smith (braeden2), Srivardhan Sajja (sajja3)

**Problem**: We imagine this product would have a primary use in military/law enforcement application -- especially in dangerous, high risk missions. During a house raid or other sensitive mission, maintaining a quiet profile and also having good situational awareness is essential. That mean's that normal two way radios can't work. And alternatives, like in-ear radios act as outside->in communication only and also reduce the ability to hear your surroundings.

**Solution**: We would provide a series of small pocketable devices with long battery that would use LoRa radios to provide a range of 1-5 miles. They would be rechargeable and have a single recessed soft-touch button that would allow someone to find it inside of pockets and tap it easily. The taps would be sent in real-time to all other devices, where they would be translated into silent but noticeable vibrations. (Every device can obviously TX/RX).

Essentially a team could use a set of predetermined signals or even morse code, to quickly and without loss of situational awareness communicate movements/instructions to others who are not within line-of-sight.

The following we would not consider part of the basic requirements for success, but additional goals if we are ahead of schedule:

We could also imagine a base-station which would allow someone using a computer to type simple text that would be sent out as morse code or other predetermined patterns. Additionally this base station would be able to record and monitor the traffic over the LoRa channels (including sender).

**Solutions Components**:

- **Charging and power systems**: the device would have a single USB-C/Microusb port that would connect to charging circuitry for the small Lithium-ion battery (150-500mAh). This USB port would also connect to the MCU. The subsystem would also be responsible to dropping the lion (3.7-4.2V to a stable 3.3V logic level). and providing power to the vibration motor.

- **RF Communications**: we would rely on externally produced RF transceivers that we would integrate into our PCB -- DLP-RFS1280, https://www.sparkfun.com/products/16871, https://www.adafruit.com/product/3073, .

-**Vibration**: We would have to research and source durable quiet, vibration motors that might even be adjustable in intensity

- **MCU**: We are likely to use the STM32 series of MCU's. We need it to communicate with the transceiver (probably SPI) and also control the vibration motor (by driving some transistor). The packets that we send would need to be encrypted (probably with AES). We would also need it to communicate to a host computer for programming via the same port.

- **Structural**: For this prototype, we'd imagine that a simple 3d printed case would be appropriate. We'd have to design something small and relatively ergonomic. We would have a single recessed location for the soft-touch button, that'd be easy to find by feel.

**Basic criterion for success:** We have at least two wireless devices that can reliably and quickly transfer button-presses to vibrations on the other device. It should operate at at *least* 1km LOS. It should be programmable + chargeable via USB. It should also be relatively compact in size and quiet to use.

**Additional Success Criterion:** we would have a separate, 3rd device that can stay permanently connected to a computer. It would provide some software that would be able to send and receive from the LoRa radio, especially ASCII -> morse code.