Lesson 9: Wildlife Protection System for Power Stations
INTRODUCTION
Design a smart system to detect wildlife near power stations and safely deter them using motion detection, light/sound alarms.
ENGAGE
Why Protect Wildlife Near Power Stations?
Guided Thinking
Let’s start with a question:
“Have you ever seen birds, squirrels, or rabbits near power lines or transformers? What might happen if they get too close?”
Show a short video clip (or simple illustration) of a squirrel approaching a power line:
“Oops! The squirrel gets too close—sparks fly! The power station equipment breaks, and the squirrel gets hurt.”
“Why is this a problem for both the animals and the power station?” (Animals get injured; equipment breaks, causing power outages.)
“In some places, birds or snakes accidentally touch power lines, leading to expensive repairs. Our job today: design a system to keep animals safe and protect the power station!”
EXPLORE
Build a Motion Detection & Deterrence System.
Core Teaching Steps
Connection:
Coding:
Test Your System:
Hand: Use your hand to “act like a wild animal” in front of the camera.
Free-fall leaf:
1.Select a single leaf.
2.Position the leaf-holding hand 30 cm away from the camera lens, ensuring the leaf is within the camera’s field of view at the starting point.
3.Release the leaf to allow it to fall freely under gravity (no external force applied).
4.Record if the action detection was activated during its free fall.
Record:
“Why did the alarm trigger when there was only leaf fall? How can we make the system more accurate, so that it only alarms when an animal passes by?” (Adjust the threshold!)
Coding:
Guide students to adjust the motion detection sensitivity (When setting the motion detection sensitivity, a larger value indicates higher sensitivity to detecting movements, with the range being 0-100. If the sensitivity is not set when using motion detection, it will default to 50.).
Repeat free-fall leaf test with the new settings.
Compare results:
Did leaf fall trigger fewer alerts?
Did wildlife still trigger alerts reliably?
Continue adjusting threshold and retesting until:
No alerts for falling leaves (or ≤1 false positive in 10 trials).
Consistent alerts for wildlife (≥9 true positives in 10 trials).
Research:
What Deters Local Wildlife?
Group Task:
“Find out: What animals live near our local power stations? (e.g., birds, squirrels, rabbits)”
“What do these animals hate? (e.g., bright lights, high-pitched sounds, flashing patterns)”
Example:
Birds: Hate flashing red lights (like car alarms).
Squirrels: Hate high-pitched beeps (similar to predator calls).
EXPLAIN
How Does Motion Detection Work?
Understand the principle of “frame difference.”
Simple Explanation
Imagine taking two photos of the same scene 1 second apart.
If an animal moves, parts of the two photos will look different (e.g., a squirrel’s arm position changed).
The computer compares these two photos (frames) and checks for big differences. If there’s a big difference, it means something moved!
Analogy
“Think of your eyes: When you blink, you compare what you saw before and after. If something moved, your brain notices it—just like the UNIHIKER K10!”
CHALLENGE
Design a Wildlife Deterrent System
Core Teaching Steps
Goal:
Use local wildlife data to choose the best deterrent (light/sound).
Research:
What Deters Local Wildlife?
Group Task:
“Find out: What animals live near our local area? (e.g., birds, squirrels, rabbits)”
“What do these animals hate? (e.g., bright lights, high-pitched sounds, flashing patterns)”
Example:
Birds: Hate flashing red lights (like car alarms).
Squirrels: Hate high-pitched beeps (similar to predator calls).
Modify the motion detection code to:
Trigger lights if the animal is a squirrel.
Play sounds if the animal is a bird.
Use toy animals to simulate “intruders.”
CONCLUSION
Recap:
●What we learned:
●Motion detection compares camera frames to spot movement.
●Deterrents (lights/sounds) depend on local wildlife.
Program-L9.zip 
