This is something I have been wanting to do for a while now. I want to have real time information as to what is happening on my property at all times, no matter where I am. I want to track movement and events for a number of reasons including:
- Detect intruders for the safety of my family
- Track animals, my own and the wild ones
- Track my kids who are now old enough to head over to the neighbors or get themselves into trouble in a variety of ways outside
- Assist in food production
As I see it there are 4 main phases:
- Map the (my) location
- Decide on and deploy a variety of sensors
- Fuse sensor information into a single application
- Take real world action based on data (i.e. driving rovers, deploying drones, sending alerts etc)
Having a mapping strategy will also assist in the automation necessary for growing food. I would like to obtain the best resolution possible, down to the centimeter, hopefully even the millimeter. Everyone should have the right to produce their own food and protect their own property. As I see it I can kill both of these birds with one stone.
Basically this is the culmination of my all skills and interests. I have an amazing facility and machine shop, however I am just not interested in job shop work. I also like working on the older machines, which is not directly related but there is enough overlap as not only will they be necessary to make parts for my security apparatus but will themselves need control systems (sensors and actuators). At the core this could be classified as a control problem. I have become fairly proficient with CAD/CAM and I consider myself a software developer first and foremost.
In envision a front end application to ingest and visualize the data, probably NodeJs with D3.js, a back end application to interface with various API’s for analysis and alerting, some kind of messaging, whether it be MQTT , ZMQ, something else entirely or a mix.
So to sum it up: sensors, actuators, power modules, solar, data analysis, design, CAD, CAM, machining, printing, control systems, autonomy, coding, what more could I want?! Bottom line is I need to cut everything out of my life that doesn’t meet one of these goals.
Bobby in the Shop 