Dog Run: The Interactive Dog Ball Launcher

Traditional ball launchers have been leaving more to desire, with some devices not even launching the ball properly. Our project, Dog Run, focuses on improving on the traditional ball launcher by adding a battery to allow it to work anywhere and adding new features such as an automated treat dispenser, an object detection system, a built-in camera to view their pets, and an application that allows the user to view their pet via the camera and control aspects of the launcher such as the speed of the ball. A Raspberry Pi and an Arduino were used for this project. The Arduino is mainly used to control the motor for the launcher, the ultrasonic sensors and servos to facilitate the detection system and automated treat dispenser, while the Raspberry Pi has the camera connected to it and is mainly used to facilitate communication between the Arduino and the application such that the user can view their pet and control the device. Power consumption of the motor is the main contributing factor for the overall power draw. The housing for the system needed to be large enough to hold the motor, launching ramp, treat dispenser, and other system components.