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Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

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Re: Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

#132
post #126

There's a lot of negativity in these comments, but I'm excited because I'm working on exactly the same thing. I have a raspberry pi 4 hooked up to a PS3 eye camera/mic, and have been tweaking it to only forward audio when my child cries. I wasn't going to start with ML - just send the audio if it was over a certain threshold for a certain amount of time (say, 5 or 10 seconds of noise that's above the normal ambient b…

> I wasn't going to start with ML - just send the audio if it was over a certain threshold for a certain amount of time (say, 5 or 10 seconds of noise that's above the normal ambient background for that room).

In my experience this might very well be sufficient. I have a baby monitor (eufy spaceview) that does just that, and as long as you can set a volume threshold to account for expected noise (e.g. a white noise device) I doubt an ML-powered version will add much value for this use case.

I also have an eufy Indoor Security Cam, which does some more intelligent audio processing, such as detecting when someone is crying, and is able to send notifications based on those alerts. It has worked flawlessly in my experience, but also hasn't provided additional value over the baby monitor that only detects noise over a certain volume.

In the end it doesn't really matter what kind of excessive noise you're hearing from your baby's room. If its loud enough to trigger our baby monitor I'd like an alert even if it doesn't sound like crying.

The security camera we have also doesn't trigger an alarm (on Apple devices, besides from the notification sound), so that's another thing to take in to consideration.

Re: Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

#133

Please, please, do not use something like this as the only method of monitoring a child’s safety. This sort of thing has given me honest to god nightmares. My day job is managing development and infrastructure of internet connected cameras, with motion detection, notifications, and all the rest of it. Every now and again someone new will start on the marketing team and put together something about using them as baby…

If you’re using a baby monitor to observe a child in safety-critical situation, you’re doing something wrong.

Re: Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

#135
post #30

game changer if it could also smell poop!

I actually wondered about this. Could any of the various "VOC Sensors" that you can get from sparkfun/adafruit etc actually be used to detect the smell?

I can say from personal experience that they can detect farts, but only really stinky ones.

Re: Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't even know anyone who uses a baby monitor. I think we can get by. If someone relies on one to the exclusion of actually checking on their child from time to time, the failure of the monitor is probably the least of risks.

I know we were gifted one, and it didn't ever get used. When the baby was brought home he shared the bedroom with the pair of us, and it was immediately obvious if he was crying. Later when he moved to sleeping in his own room we could still easily hear the noise of crying, as the room was immediately adjacent to our own, and we left the doors open. I remember we setup a routine at some point where one of us would sl…

Around here we have a custom of letting your kid have a nap in the baby wagon outdoors, even in winter. I guess people started using baby monitors for that by now. When I was small, mum just left a window a bit open (1970-ish Sweden).

This is even done at daycare down to -15 degrees C. However they do have someone present next to the kids at most times.

There are lots of stories of swedish people going to USA and getting arrested for leaving their kid without supervision outside while being 5 meters away inside a store for five minutes. We are used to a bit more relaxed way of parenting I guess :-)

Re: Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

#137
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where my partner usually steps in is not safety, but time. It is great if you're able to build some things yourself. But the kid and in particular your partner need your hands on deck, not on the workbench for days on, just to end up with an unfinished crib. And there are so many other, more important things to do that cannot be outsourced that easily. And once the first kid is in the house, expect interruptions. Oh,…

If you are building the crib after the baby is born, you are doing it wrong.

I use the just-in-time method of building things. I was spending the time before he was born building the changing tables and dressers for all his clothing.

Re: Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

#138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A baby monitor is to detect if a baby is crying not if a baby is dying. It seems like your exaggerating the user need (system engineer in HW+ SW and father of 3 here). Most use cases for baby monitors are “im relatively nearby, but want to hear if the kiddo’s waking up”. This solution is great.

True. As my coworker, who has 3 kids of her own, always says, if they're going to stop breathing, its not like its something youre going to hear. They could be in a crib in your bedroom at night, and you'd never know. The monitor is just to see whats going on, are they even sleeping yet, who threw their stuffed animal out, etc...

Add O2 sensors to it?

Re: Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

#139

Please, please, do not use something like this as the only method of monitoring a child’s safety. This sort of thing has given me honest to god nightmares. My day job is managing development and infrastructure of internet connected cameras, with motion detection, notifications, and all the rest of it. Every now and again someone new will start on the marketing team and put together something about using them as baby…

What?? What do you imagine a baby monitor is for?? How good do you think the ones on the market are??

I guess the disconnect is between "what is the monitor used for" vs "what can a baby monitor producer be sued for". Their worst case is the worst possible litigious customer.

Although I don't get why the engineers argue that one rather than lawyers. It's a disclaimer / liability issue, not a technical one. We know the tech will fail at some point.

Re: Create your own smart baby monitor with a RaspberryPi and TensorFlow

#140
post #52

No thank you. Baby monitors should not be connected to the internet, rely on machine learning to make decisions for you, or rely on push notifications to gain your attention. Keep them simple, local, reliable, and dumb AF. In this use case, less is most definitely more.

> Baby monitors should not be connected to the internet

This one connects to the network, not necessarily to the internet. (the latter is up to you)

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