Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea of tracking how many people are coming in and out of the library. You know, getting a good count of foot traffic. I figured it would be super useful for figuring out busy times, staffing needs, and even just proving the library’s value to the community. Here’s how I went about it:
The Initial Idea
First, I thought, “Okay, what’s the easiest way to do this?” My initial brainwave was some kind of manual counter, like those clicker things security guards use. But that seemed, well, ancient. Plus, someone would have to actually stand there and click it all day. No thanks.
Diving into the Tech
So, I started looking at more tech-y solutions. I knew there were fancy systems out there, but I wanted something I could maybe put together myself, on a budget. I stumbled upon the idea of using sensors.
My first thought was infrared sensors – you know, the kind that beams across a doorway. When someone walks through, it breaks the beam, and you get a count. Simple enough, right?
The Experimentation Phase
I grabbed a couple of cheap infrared sensors online and hooked them up to a little Arduino board I had lying around. My coding skills are… let’s just say “developing,” but I found some sample code online to get me started. Basically, the Arduino would just keep track of how many times the beam was broken.
- Problem #1: People walking side-by-side. The sensor would only count them as one person. Oops.
- Problem #2: Sunlight. Turns out, bright sunlight messing with the infrared sensor, throwing off my counts. Double oops.
Trying a Different Approach
Back to the drawing board. I started researching other types of sensors. I read about ultrasonic sensors, the kind that use sound waves. They seemed less sensitive to light, so I gave them a shot.
The setup was similar – Arduino, sensor, some slightly modified code. This time, things were a bit better. The sunlight wasn’t as much of an issue, but I still had the problem with people walking close together. It just wasn’t accurate enough.
Refining the System
Then it clicked, I found a few articles about thermal camera. I use the thermal camera to slove the problem.
I get a much clear images!
- Benefit #1 It solved the problem of counting!
- Benefit #2 Sunlight wasn’t an issue!
Where I’m At Now
So, that’s where I am now. I’ve got a simple, functioning system that tracks foot traffic. It’s not perfect. I can see the counts going up on my little display, and it’s pretty satisfying to watch!
I’m still figuring out how to best collect and display the data long-term. Maybe hook it up to a Raspberry Pi and create some nice graphs? That’s the next step, I guess. It’s been a fun project, and I’ve definitely learned a lot along the way!