The latest prototype of a dog feeder was developed by Shiv Nadar High School students.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
All it required was out-of-the-box thinking and a little sensitivity for three pet-loving friends to assemble an innovative device that addresses the issue of feeding stray dogs.
Three high schoolers – Ekansh Agrawal, Arijit Sinha, and Shantanu Mukherjee, notice stray dogs lingering in front of their school compound every day, and it bothered them.
“The dogs were malnourished and some also had injuries,” says Shantanu. The boys began to read up on the subject and were further distressed to learn that 80 million dogs and cats are homeless and uncared for on Indian streets. “We wanted to do something,” says Ekansh.
Also listen | Should you be feeding stray dogs in public places? | In Focus podcast
When an opportunity came by to be part of the school’s annual innovation program, under which students are encouraged to ideate and devise economically viable and creative technology-based solutions to address real-world problems, the class XI students could only think about the stray dogs.
It has taken them eight months of labour and trials to come up with variant prototypes of an AI-enabled solution. Prototype III is ready now and under trial at the school and also at the Smart Sanctuary, a shelter for dogs in Greater Noida. “The algorithm has worked well and we have received positive feedback,” says Ekansh.
The boys aim to work on bettering the version to make it foolproof before looking for product escalation.
The latest prototype of dog feeder developed by Shiv Nadar high School students
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The device contains a compact metal-cased smart feeder with a removable lid to fill dry dog food (like kibble). It has an in-built camera and sensor that uses computer vision to recognize a dog on several parameters such as the colour, build and other physical features.
This AI-enabled technology within the feeder triggers the dispensing of dog food, which slides down from the container through a shaft to the dog bowl placed beneath. It also comes with a built-in UV sanitization mechanism, keeping infected dogs in mind. The students have used open-source technology and coding languages including Python, which operates in an efficient manner.
The device was conceptualized primarily to take care of regular, systematic feeding of stray dogs on a mass scale. “The device is simple, hands-free, and impactful and can be utilized by NGOs, animal shelters, residential complexes, and societies to automate dog feeds. Working pet parents who find it difficult to feed their dogs when away from home can also use it,” says Arijit Sinha, and adds if the feeder is placed in a public place, then people can also choose to refill the dog food.
Measuring about 2.5 feet in height, the cost of the feeder is approximately ₹6000. The main base is made with recycled wood, while the main food container is acrylic plastic. “A chunk of the expenses goes towards the motor, camera and the Raspberry Pi responsible for the AI-based recognition system,” explains Ekansh.
The AI system senses whether the object in front of the feeder is a dog and then sends a server command to the motor fitted on the top to open the shaft to dispense the food. It can be fixed to the wall or clamped on the ground depending on its location.
One functionality the boys are slightly skeptical of is the amount of food to be dispensed, how fast, and how many repeat cycles per dog. “We are working to add an app-based controlling feature to customize the need,” says Arijit. The camera algorithm does not restrict how many dogs can feed at a time. “The dog shelter has suggested we use multiple points in the feeder for food dispensation to avoid fights if more dogs gather,”
