IT Expert From Surrey Uses AI To Link Ring Camera, Ultrasonic Device To Deter Foxes, Badgers

A man got fed up with the foxes and badgers messing around in his garden. So, he used his skills in programming and incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) to make the nuisance away from his property.

AI, Camera, and Ultrasonic Device To Keep Fox, Badgers Away

Badgers and foxes are not pests but can be a nuisance when entering your garden. James Milward, an IT expert from Surrey, had enough of the unwanted visitors and decided to link his Ring camera to a device that emits high-frequency sounds when foxes and badgers are in sight.

Milward trained a system using AI to detect nocturnal nuisances. He fed the system hundreds of images to see foxes and badgers, triggering the noise when the animals were spotted.

The IT expert said it "sounds crazy." However, the gadget, which he called Furbinator 3000, has kept his garden safe from those nuisances. However, he also acknowledged that teaching the camera to identify what it was looking for wasn't easy.

According to Milward, the system first recognized badgers as an umbrella. He had to do fine-tuning, and the result showed it was a sink, or if he were lucky, it would consider the animal a bear. He felt that it was a "spectacular failure." However, the device finally worked when he turned to AI using machine learning.

When the camera spots a badger, it will trigger a high-frequency sound and send the night-time visitor away from his property, leaving his garden clean and safe for his kids to play in.

However, RSPCA, the largest animal welfare charity in the UK, is against using ultrasonic deterrents. The organization claimed that the noise levels produced by such ultrasonic devices are likely to be disagreeable to some animals and may cause them discomfort, fear, or agony.

Milward acknowledges the importance of living with wildlife harmoniously. He only created the device as a compassionate solution to keeping his yard intact and protecting his two children from the mess that foxes and badgers leave behind. The IT specialist stated that he believed the technology might be used in many more places than just a backyard in the home counties.

"In agricultural settings, there really aren't any safe deterrents for getting rid of potential predators, and this is an ideal solution for that," he said, adding that a similar system could be applied where people and animals clash.

Milward has no intention of making money from the Furbinator. So, he has made his code open source, so it's accessible for everyone for free.

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Ring Camera For Detecting Extraterrestrials

Amazon offers $1 million to anyone who can present proof of extraterrestrial beings using its Ring cameras. The cameras have been used to record everything, including unexpected and joyful moments. The company hopes the technology will help spot evidence of alien life on Earth.

Submissions must be made by Nov. 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The challenge is only open to US residents of legal age, at least 18 years old.

If you qualify, you can submit proof of "unaltered scientific evidence of a real extraterrestrial lifeform." All submissions will be examined by a "Space and Extraterrestrial Expert."

The challenge has two entry options. You can submit a one-minute video showing "someone or something related to extraterrestrials" or present "Scientific Evidence recorded using a Ring gadget documenting an Extraterrestrial."