Occasionally causing power outages for up to 10,000 customers, ravens continue to damage equipment at Eversource Energy's Rimmon Substation in Goffstown, New Hampshire. To address this issue, a project team previously created a bird deterrent prototype that used an ultrasonic rangefinder to detect cormorants and used flashing lights and sound to deter them. In an effort to improve upon the previous prototype, a bird detection model using artificial intelligence (AI) was added to the system. This AI detection model can recognize the presence of a raven, notify the system, and activate a set of deterring stimuli. Additionally, new sensors for bird detection were incorporated, including a laser-based "Time of Flight" (ToF) sensor that detects the bird's proximity. A mobile application was also created for Eversource employees to remotely monitor and control the robot while it is deployed on the wire. To ensure durability, the electrical housings were redesigned to include weatherproofing and ensure mechanical stability, and a new docking charging station that wirelessly charges the robot using solar energy was introduced. These improvements are expected to enhance bird detection accuracy, system robustness, and user experience.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Leserman, Jack
• Walts, Jolie
• Trembley, Jeremy
• Mercier, Jake
• Chong, Brandon

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 106366
• E-project-042723-142814

Keyword

• Bot on a Wire
• Bird Deterrent
• Robotics

Advisor

• Lewin, Greg
• Michalson, William R.
• Xiao, Jing

Year

• 2023

Sponsor

• Eversource

Date created

• 2023-04-27

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Management
• Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Robotics Engineering

Source

• E-project-042723-142814

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-06-23