This AI gadget scolds people smoking in public spaces
What's the story
A techie from Bengaluru has developed an innovative AI-powered device that detects smoking in public spaces. The innovative gadget plays an audio of a baby coughing and a grandmother scolding the smoker when it detects someone smoking nearby. The techie shared his project on social media, explaining how much he hates public smoking and how this device was his solution to the problem.
Technical details
How the device works
The techie explained that his device performs person detection, cigarette identification, and smoking gesture recognition in real-time. He said the prototype was built using "yolov8 + mediapipe with some finetuning," while Sarvam AI took care of the audio part. The entire system runs on a Raspberry Pi, which he described as "nothing fancy, but it works."
Prototype progress
Techie is working on a portable version of the device
The techie shared an early real-world test of his device at a bus stand, where one man looked around confused and put out his cigarette. He said this was just an initial prototype shown on public photos to avoid using real people. The techie also revealed that he is working on a 3D-printed portable version of the device, which he hopes to launch soon.
Mixed responses
Mixed response to the invention
The techie's invention has drawn a mixed response from social media users. Some were excited about the idea, especially those who are tired of smoking in public spaces. Others said they don't have a problem with smokers but where they smoke. The device has sparked discussions on how independent developers are using accessible AI tools and cheap hardware to create real-world behavioral interventions.