We feature many cool Raspberry Pi creations here at Tom’s Hardware and some of the best Raspberry Pi projects we’ve had the pleasure of featuring

Raspberry Pi Stops Package Thieves with AI and Flour

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2021-07-30 10:30:02

We feature many cool Raspberry Pi creations here at Tom’s Hardware and some of the best Raspberry Pi projects we’ve had the pleasure of featuring come from the creative mind of Ryder Damen. Today we’re sharing this clever, yet somewhat aggressive, Raspberry Pi-powered package security system.

According to Ryder, the idea came after someone stole a package off of his porch. His solution? Engineer a Raspberry Pi-controlled alert system to identify thieves with the help of artificial intelligence.

The components used are fairly simple but put together create a complex system of chaos for the would-be thief. A camera is used to observe the porch in real-time. Ryder trained a custom model for TensorFlow to recognize when a package is or isn’t present. This TensorFlow system works in tandem with Python to signal the alert system.

Once triggered, a siren blares and a red light flashes. If that’s not enough, sprinklers in the yard activate and intruders are met with a blast of flour as they leave the porch. Wanting to avoid any unwanted triggers, Ryder also trained the camera to recognize his face which will disarm the alert system.