Alright, so I’ve been messing around with this project, trying to count people at tourist spots. You know, like how many folks are checking out the Big Statue or that Really Old Bridge. It’s been a trip, let me tell you.
Getting Started
First, I had to figure out what I was even doing. Like, I knew I wanted to count people, but how? Did I need, like, a super-powered clicker? Turns out, there are these things called “people counting sensors.” Who knew?
I did some digging, looked at a bunch of different types. There are these infrared ones, thermal ones, even ones that use video cameras. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest.
The Experiment Phase
I decided to start simple. I grabbed a basic infrared sensor – the kind that breaks a beam when someone walks past. I figured it would be easy to set up and test.
- Step 1: Find a doorway. Any doorway. I used the one to my office.
- Step 2: Mount the sensor. This involved some tape and a bit of hope. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
- Step 3: Connect it to a counter. I used a little microcontroller thingy. I’m not gonna lie, I had to look up a tutorial for this part.
And…it kinda worked! Every time I walked through the doorway, the counter went up. Success! Except, it also counted my cat. And sometimes it counted me twice if I walked through too slowly. So, not perfect.
Leveling Up
I realized I needed something a bit more sophisticated. I started looking at the thermal sensors. These things detect body heat, so they’re less likely to be fooled by a fluffy cat (no offense, Mittens).
The thermal sensor was definitely trickier to set up. It needed more power, and the data it gave me was a lot more complex. I had to learn about heatmaps and stuff. It felt like I was back in school, but, you know, with more wires and less homework.
The Results (So Far)
After a lot of tinkering, I got the thermal sensor working pretty reliably. It can tell the difference between a person and a cat (most of the time). It can even track how many people are in a room at once, which is pretty cool.
I haven’t actually tested this at a real tourist attraction yet. I’m thinking of taking it to the local park this weekend, see how it handles the crowds. It might be a total disaster, but hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
I still have a lot to figure that out, but finally I find out that I can count people at tourist attractions, which is pretty cool.