Friday, June 17, 2016

[sbodhkvz] Bug zapper webcam

A live webcam of a bug zapper in action would be entertaining.  ("You might be a redneck if...")  Difficulties / desired features:

Brightness and contrast: ideally the camera's vantage point would be from inside, so the light is behind the camera.  And cylindrical fisheye, probably synthesized from multiple cameras.

If not filming from the inside of the device, one way to avoid the brightness of the light is to have it flicker at a very high rate, then have the camera shutter synchronized to be open when the light is off.

Desirability of slow motion and magnification.  The sound it makes could be a useful cue of what to replay in slow motion.

12 hour replay, 6 month replay.

Some sort of machine learning to detect when the bugs are out and the lamp is most effective.  Of course, a light sensor can be one component.  Some reports that it can also be effective during they day when it rains if the bug zapper is covered from the rain: bugs seek shelter from the rain.

Some way of cheaply attracting mosquitoes.  Attractant (octenol) is reportedly expensive.  Generating warm CO2 should be easy.

Some way of easily cleaning it, including the bug bits that get splattered on the camera lens.

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