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<h1 align="center">AI on the Edge Device: Digitizing Your non-digital meters with an ESP32-CAM</h1> <br> <br>

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Artificial intelligence is everywhere, from speech to image recognition. While most AI systems rely on powerful processors or cloud computing, edge computing brings AI closer to the end user by utilizing the capabilities of modern processors.
This project demonstrates edge computing using the ESP32, a low-cost, AI-capable device, to digitize your analog metersβ€”whether water, gas, or electricity. With affordable hardware and simple instructions, you can turn any standard meter into a smart device.

Let's explore how to make AI on the Edge a reality! 🌟

All you need is an ESP32 board with a supported camera and some practical skills. πŸ› οΈ


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Key Features πŸš€

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Workflow πŸ”§

The device captures a photo of your meter at set intervals. It then extracts the Regions of Interest (ROIs) from the image and runs them through artificial intelligence. As a result, you get the digitized value of your meter.

There are several options for what to do with that value:

<p align="center"> <img src="images/idea.jpg" width="600"> </p>
<br>

Impressions πŸ“·


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Setup πŸ› οΈ

There is growing documentation which provides you with a lot of information. Head there to get started, set it up, and configure it.

There are also articles in the German Heise magazine "make:" about the setup and technical background (behind a paywall): DIY - Setup πŸ“°

A lot of people have created useful YouTube videos that might help you get started:

For further background information, head to:


<br>

Download πŸ”½

The latest available version can be found on the Releases page.


<br>

Flashing the ESP32 πŸ’Ύ

Initially, you will have to flash the ESP32 via a USB connection. Later updates are possible directly over the air (OTA using Wi-Fi).

There are different ways to flash your ESP32:

See the documentation for more information.


<br>

Flashing the SD Card πŸ’Ύ

The SD card can be set up automatically after the firmware is installed. See the documentation for details. For this to work, the SD card must be FAT formatted (which is the default on a new SD card).

Alternatively, the SD card can still be set up manually. See the documentation for details.


<br>

Casing πŸ› οΈ

Various 3D-printable housings can be found here:


<br>

Donate β˜•

If you'd like to support the developer with a cup of coffee, you can do so via PayPal.

<p align="center"> <a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=8TRSVYNYKDSWL"><img border="0" src="images/paypal.png" width="200px" target="_blank"></a> </p>
<br>

Support πŸ’¬

If you have any technical problems, please search the discussions. In case you find a bug or have a feature request, please open an issue.

For any other issues, you can contact the developer via email:

<p align="center"> <img src="images/mail.jpg" height="25"> </p>
<br>

Changes and History πŸ“œ

See the Changelog for detailed information.


<br>

Build It Yourself πŸ”¨

See the Build Instructions for step-by-step guidance.


<br>

Tools πŸ› οΈ


<br>

Additional Ideas πŸ’‘

There are some ideas and feature requests which are not currently being pursuedβ€”mainly due to capacity constraints on the part of the developers. These features are collected in the issues and in FeatureRequest.md.


<br>

Our Contributors ❀️

<!-- Do not manually edit this section! It should get updated using the Github action "Manually update contributors list" --> <!-- readme: contributors -start --> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/jomjol"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/30766535?v=4" width="100;" alt="jomjol"/> <br /> <sub><b>jomjol</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/caco3"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1783586?v=4" width="100;" alt="caco3"/> <br /> <sub><b>CaCO3</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/haverland"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/412645?v=4" width="100;" alt="haverland"/> <br /> <sub><b>Frank Haverland</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/Slider0007"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/115730895?v=4" width="100;" alt="Slider0007"/> <br /> <sub><b>Slider0007</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/SybexX"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/587201?v=4" width="100;" alt="SybexX"/> <br /> <sub><b>michael</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/nliaudat"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/6782613?v=4" width="100;" alt="nliaudat"/> <br /> <sub><b>Nicolas Liaudat</b></sub> </a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/Zwer2k"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/10438794?v=4" width="100;" alt="Zwer2k"/> <br /> <sub><b>Zwer2k</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/phlupp"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/6304863?v=4" width="100;" alt="phlupp"/> <br /> <sub><b>phlupp</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/jasaw"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/721280?v=4" width="100;" alt="jasaw"/> <br /> <sub><b>jasaw</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/dockSquadron"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/11964767?v=4" width="100;" alt="dockSquadron"/> <br /> <sub><b>dockSquadron</b></sub> </a> </td> <td align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/rdmueller"> <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1856308?v=4" width="100;" alt="rdmueller"/> <br /> <sub><b>Ralf D. 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