Crafting an Elf-detecting AI for your Elf on the Shelf antics

To avoid the laborious task of devising 24 different elf setups, McAleer enlisted the assistance of a robot.

The star of McAleer's project is the Viam Rover, a readily available robot equipped with a 720p webcam, an integrated microphone, a 3D accelerometer, and two motor encoders for wheel control. The Rover is designed to be powered by a Raspberry Pi 4, which is not included in the basic package and must be purchased separately.

McAleer creatively utilised the Rover’s onboard webcam to capture various images of the elf from multiple angles. These images were then used to train a machine learning model. This enabled the robot, while patrolling the house, to autonomously detect the elf using the same camera.

The machine learning model, also provided by Viam, was selected by McAleer for its user-friendly interface and the ability to quickly train it to recognise specific objects. This software operates on the Raspberry Pi 4 integrated into the robot.

McAleer's project documentation guides enthusiasts through the process of registering for Viam’s machine learning model, adding a new robot, and uploading images for the model's training.

For those interested in replicating this innovative project, McAleer hosts live coding sessions on his YouTube channel. These sessions, including the one featuring the Elf on the Shelf project, are held every Sunday evening.