Sensor/actuator network for detecting and driving away stray dogs and/or cats
Sensor/actuator network for detecting and driving away stray dogs and/or cats
Development of a sensor/actuator network for detecting and driving away stray cats and/or dogs
Bachelor thesis
Completed on 23/04/13 by Sebastian Reichel
The background
Sensor/actuator networks are distributed computing systems in which the individual computers consist of autonomous, usually battery-operated microcomputers that can exchange information with the other microcomputers via a wireless connection. Almost any sensors (e.g. ultrasound, brightness, temperature or vibration sensors) and actuators (e.g. lights, horns and magnetic valves) can be attached to these so-called sensor nodes and operated. Sensor networks can be used to observe autonomously distributed phenomena, e.g. brightness distribution across a region or the intrusion and movement of subjects in an area. The actuator option can then be used to react to an event detected in this way, e.g. by switching on lights in an area recognised as too dark. The System Software and Distributed Systems department has 120+ MTM-CM5000-MSP sensor nodes with TI MSP430 processors that can be used for such purposes.
Job description
The main task of the work is to design and implement an autonomous sensor/actuator network that is able to detect dogs and/or cats in a given area, if possible without complicated configuration "on site", using appropriate sensor technology and then take appropriate countermeasures to scare the animals away from the area to be monitored. It goes without saying that the requirements of animal welfare and neighbourhood law must be observed. The task includes in particular the selection of hardware sensors and actuators and the realisation of their connection to the sensor nodes. This can be done via general purpose I/O ports (GPIO ports) on the sensor nodes. These "speak" protocols such as I2C etc. It is expected that a functional prototype for the field test will be realised and tested as part of the work. Functions such as logging and the visualisation of relevant events on a computer screen may also be required, depending on the type of work and the number of people involved (e.g. if more than one person is working on the thesis together).