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While You Were Weekending

by Natasha NelJuly 1st, 2019

Too Long; Didn't Read

AI catflap to stop Adorably Named Cat, Metric, from killing birds, built by Amazon engineer. Built by Amazon's own DeepLens, the cat flap in his door is connected to an AI-enabled camera. The camera was loaded with machine vision algorithms trained by the engineer. If Metric was coming or going, the flap would lock for 15 minutes and Hamm would get a text. The system also sends a donation to the National Audubon Society, which protects the birds cats love to kill.

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AI Catflap to Stop Adorably Named Cat, Metric, from Killing Birds, Built by Amazon Engineer

In order to stop Metric from following his instincts, Hamm hooked up the cat flap in his door to an AI-enabled camera (Amazon’s own DeepLens) and an Arduino-powered locking system.

The camera was loaded with machine vision algorithms trained by Hamm himself. They identified whether Metric was coming or going and whether he had prey in his mouth. If the answer was “yes,” the cat flap would lock for 15 minutes and Hamm would get a text. (In a nice flourish, the system also sends a donation, or “blood money” as Hamm calls it, to the National Audubon Society, which protects the birds cats love to kill.)

— the verge