Slashdot Mirror
Smart Cat Shelter Uses AI To Let Strays Inside, Keep Dogs Out (mashable.com)
"China's top search engine company Baidu made a smart cat shelter in Beijing that uses AI to verify when a cat is approaching and open its door," writes Slashdot reader AmiMoJo. "The cat shelter is heated and also offers cats food and water." Mashable reports: It can accurately identify 174 different cat breeds, as to let them enter and exit as they please. A door will slide open if the camera spots a cat, but it won't work on dogs. Multiple cats can fit inside the space. Another neat camera feature is that it can be also used to detect if the cat is sick -- it can identify four common cat diseases, such as inflammation, skin problems, and physical trauma. Once a cat is identified as needing care, associated volunteers can be informed to come and collect it. "Homeless cats often struggle to survive the winter in Beijing, and even though volunteers feed them their water bowls freeze over in the cold," adds AmiMoJo. "Due to many people living in apartments that don't allow pets, they can't simply bring the cats home."
Baidu has a blog post detailing the shelter and its use of artificial intelligence.
Baidu has a blog post detailing the shelter and its use of artificial intelligence.
After all homeless people also have to endure winter, right?
This is why you spay and neuter dogs and cats (among other reasons). Unfortunately, cultural reasons in many countries prevent this from happening, along with ignorance.
Of course if the smartest animal on the planet wouldn't simply toss dogs and cats, and puppies and kittens, into the wild because it didn't want to care for them, this wouldn't be an issue.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Wish I had mod points for this. Shame you went AC on it...
Check your premises.
Let the dogs in!
The first few times I read that it looked like "Smart Cat Smelter". Need more coffee.
Chinese cities have too many cats. It means there are hardly any birds, lizards, etc. They should be killing off strays rather than keeping them alive.
Maybe the dogs are better off.
Probably for the safety of the dogs as well. When cats and dogs exist in the same space, cats are usually the dominant ones.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
They have canine privilege and are collectively responsible for stray cats being homeless. Dogs have oppressed cats all throughout history and even today they subconsciously collude to keep cats down.
Cats >gt; dogs. ... or they just view one as a pet they need to take care of and the other one as dinner.
... using the acronym "AI" seems to be the go to click-bait method nowadays. Anyone want to guess how long before the use of the acronym "AI" becomes passe? At the current rate of usage, I'd give it two years, tops.
Wouldn't a small door do the trick?
-Dave
Haven't your heard about the new 74HC00? It has built-in AI!
#DeleteFacebook
I hadn't considered this, but I fear you may be correct...
That's nice for a cat confronted with a friendly well-fed house dog. They're talking strays though. And stray dogs are predator/scavengers. A cat has a good fighting chance against a dog that wants to play. Not so much against a dog that wants to eat it. In that case it's primary defense is using its speed and agility to escape - if a hungry dog manages to close its jaws on a cat just once, that's probably the end of the cat. That cute head-shaking attack your dog does on its toys? That's an efficient spine-snapping maneuver evolved specifically for killing prey.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
In an open flat field, the dog. With any cover whatsoever, the cat.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Are dogs less of a priority or is there a different solution for them? Asking for a friend.
If we can't do it with humans because of civilization, at least let Darwin be right when it comes to animals.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Ok, who let the feline justice warrior in?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
You're assuming that the real purpose of this isn't to collect cats... for dinner.
Maybe the dogs are better off.
The breed recognition is so that they can find the cats with the most valuable fur. All those cute little fluffy toy rabbits and whatnot from China are made with cat fur. Then you feed the meat to the dogs... and eat them.
For the record, I could give a shit but don't. [Not] eating dogs is a cultural value, there's no real moral difference between eating dogs, horses, cows, sheep, pigs, etc. They're all individuals with hopes, dreams, fears, etc. And they're all delicious when properly cooked.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I love cats, but it would be nice if people got some help around here, too.
https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
The next stage is installing these outside of restraints to sort for cat, dog, squirrel, etc.....
They're not our crowd!
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
Original slashdot article and discussion. Guy hacked together a digital camera (they were relatively new back then) and an electromagnet controlling the door latch, and wrote his own image recognition software to block the cat from using the cat door if it had a "present" in its mouth. The cat would be allowed in if it was not carrying anything in its mouth. But it also happened to work at blocking other animals from entering through the door.
Archive.org link to original TFA since the hosting site has apparently expunged it.
On a side note, why do homeless cats need to be protected in winter but not homeless dogs?
I thought that they would be eaten...? Do they need to be automatically screened for disease for this to be economically viable?
Lead the homeless to the southern border. I'm sure Mexico would let them in without passports or visas and care for them. Or maybe not, because countries generally don't allow people to cross their borders without following immigration procedures, do they?
Yep, and they can keep those values in Asia. If it comes over here you'll see a bit of pushback, as in maybe you eat my dog, maybe I turn you into a lampshade.
They have their own dogs, they don't need to eat your dog.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Yeah I'm sure toys are made with real hides in 2019. SMH.
It's OK Bender, there's no such thing as 2.
A dog is no match for a cat in a fight. When a cat wants a space, you don't need a "smart" door to keep dogs out, the cat will do the job all on its own! Each dog needs to learn the lesson only once.
Chiwawas will evolve to say "meow".
Table-ized A.I.