Ever since the early web, people have been streaming video with inexpensive webcams, and since the advent of the Raspberry Pi and its dedicated camera slot we’ve really seen how easy it can be to build security cameras or any other webcam and get it online quickly. But these cameras notably lack defensive capabilities if anyone tries to break into an area they shouldn’t be, and [John] added some features to this webcam to help defend his garage.
The webcam itself is a custom build, mounted on a custom-built tilt-and-pan mount that lets it freely rotate to view any location in the garage. Some custom software running on a Raspberry Pi lets it operate in autonomous mode or be controlled manually from an Android tablet. But for the defensive capabilities, it also carries a Nerf machine gun with a laser sight and spotlights which can all be controlled autonomously by the Raspberry Pi, including a computer vision system that lets it track various objects. While this is mostly a fun novelty for his security camera, the noise it makes might be enough to startle any would-be burglar.
[John] added a few other features to this build as well, including a speaker, which allows the system to be voice-controlled and to communicate back to the user. This lets him activate and deactivate the system using a verbal password. These types of Nerf guns are fairly popular for turrets as well, and some have practical uses as well like keeping cats from walking on the kitchen counters.
You heard it evereyone, stop making things and then telling people about it.
Yeah! What sort of website do they think this is anyway???
Yeah god-forbid content creation, but creating content out of content creators is safe…right?
Now if we only had content created about content creating out of content creators, we’d have a gold mine!
If the primary reason for ‘content’ is to try to entertain and grab someone’s attention, then yep…
Content just for the sake of ‘content’ (which in the modern internet is really is some combination of add revenue, entertainment, and profiling) isn’t something we should uphold. It’s our society’s new drug, we all kinda justify it because it’s satisfying at some level to participate in the system. The dealers make revenue, the users feel pleasure, and the system feeds off the vulnerable.
I have many friends who struggle with the modern internet, because of how addictive we’ve made it. Like multiple people are actively coming to me (since I’m the tech guy) now asking how they can block themselves off of social media and YouTube because of how destructive yet addictive of a force they are in their lives.
The dream for the internet was for the ultimate public library, the ability to communicate and cooperate accross the world. Instead we have a new addition crisis.
We can’t just blame the social media companies (though they can be blamed)
We can’t just blame those who make content and profit off of the system (though I think depending on the case blame can fall here too)
We also need to take it upon ourselves to stop feeding and using these systems.
Go read The ones who walk away from Omelas. I think it’s applicable. Social media has a very dark underbelly.
“The dream for the internet was for the ultimate public library, the ability to communicate and cooperate accross the world. Instead we have a new addition crisis.”
Would it be fair to say “Additionally,” rather than “Instead”?
(Poking unfairly at a typo for a second: from what I hear anecdotally of public schools in my country these days, addition crisis may actually be[come] a thing)
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Many thanks for providing these details.
I would have gone with airsoft… at minimum.
Paintballs, with fluorescent tracking dye.
You mean by replying? Oh dear.
You are either terribly confused or you are trolling. Either way, your comment is a disservice to this community
Really? I haven’t seen an article about buffer overflows, obscure bugs being exploited in an interesting way, or infiltrating servers in a long while. So they’re severely lacking on the hacking content, and have been for quite some time. They mostly post maker content, and have for pretty much ever.
For us gray hairs, “hacker” is primarily a software term. “Maker” is basically everybody who does interesting stuff with hardware + software NOT for the purpose of gaining access, despite the creative name of this site.
You may have a different definition, but that just demonstrates that this stuff isn’t rigidly defined, so you’re going to find a broad range of topics here, even — gasp — ones you don’t care for. But that’s the beauty of personal freedoms – you’re free to cruise on past, ignore an article while not posting about how you’re ignoring an article, or even read a different site if this doesn’t meet your expectations.
I’m fairly well into the gray hair realm. For me, a “hack” was first a poorly, hastily, or even expediently constructed or altered thing, or one who perpetrated such acts. For example, a friend of mine who’s a brilliant fabricator, ironically refers to himself as a hack master. I’ve often referred to things that I’ve built as being hacked together. I think the word “bodge” has a similar smell to it.
Later, when computers became a thing, I had to learn to dual-purpose the work “hacker”.
Around here, it seems that the term is a spectrum spanning to both ends of my usage, sometimes covering both ends at the same time. (Do we have to specify which spectrum we’re on?)
Hack, kludge and bodge are similar but different.
There do exist ‘magnificent hacks’.
Not true for kludge or bodge.
Which are pretty much the awful things you sometimes have to do, but hate yourself for doing…
Also a ‘Hack’ is not the same thing as a ‘Hacker’.
‘Hack’ is overloaded as hell.
Context is everything.
Could be a cabbie.
Of course, the language is fluid and flexible, but a_do_z’s interpretation nails it for me.
One who hacks is absolutely not (necessarily) working on software, and is not (necessarily) in it for nefarious reasons.
“Maker”, however, has a connotation of a rebranded “crafter” or scrapbooker, like a glue-some-gears-on steampunk wannabe: They “make” poorly-engineered objects with a focus more on aesthetics and social media click-generation than actual utility as an object. It is not “interesting stuff” (to most people), but that’s OK. Some people like printing tchotchkes and board game figures, some people make model railroad layouts. Others have other interests. Have at it.
buffer overflow in net messa
Said the shitpost… I am curious what you feel the internet was for if not sharing of ideas and information. Hackaday, keep doing what your doing. Respect.
true actual things being made makes reddit soooo upset
they are the first to shit on you when you ask for help and the first to cry when you prove them wrong
I couldn’t watch this video because I can’t handle the guy’s over the top acting. He’s trying too hard. You know he doesn’t talk like that normally.
Also he left the surprise butt-sex face of the thumbnail.
Looks like Stalin is in charge of the comments again.
Peace through power!
Lmao I posted my version of this on insta like 6 months ago, but mine has FPGA assisted motion tracking, same gun tho