What it does
It monitors the room or area you set it to and alert you via SMS using Nexmo's API if anything or anyone enters its field of view. It'll send you a link to a picture hosted on Imgur's servers using their API key. The pictures are posted to your account, given that you have signed up for an API key and all that, and the pictures are totally private, so no worries if it catches you in your boxers on a Saturday morning :)
How I built it
Uses OpenCV to process vision data, Flask for a REST API structure, Nexmo SMS API for communication and Imgur API for uploading pictures.
Challenges I ran into
REST framework! I wasn't planning on doing a REST framework at all, but since Nexmo needs it to return text back, I had to implement it. Since it was last second, I hit a few rough patches. Also, I haven't fully integrated token refresh yet.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
MINIMAL USER INTERACTION!!! So unfortunately, Imgur requires not only API keys, but an authorization token to be used to put any pictures to a users account. This is unfortunate, since getting the token requires user interaction, so what I did is have the program text you Imgur's URL to get the pin straight to your phone, you go to the URL, copy the code, and then text that code back to Nexmo. The rest is taken care of by the program. Once you do this, you can get the real access tokens that last 30 days, so its a once-in-a-while type of thing.
What I learned
Computer vision! I've been interested in Computer Vision for a loooong while, and finally jumped into the shallow end! I also realized how easy it is to implement SMS into applications, and cheap too! Definitely will have to consider it as a method of interaction in the near future.
What's next for Open CV Room Surveillance with SMS Notifications
I'd like to implement streaming, and maybe slowdown the framerate for detecting intruders. Even a slight disturbance can result in 3-5 SMS messages. I'd also like to implement an auto-refresh system so user interaction is dropped almost altogether. Finally, i'd like to determine a good solution to deleting stored pictures so your Imgur account doesn't get swamped.
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