What is a Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi is a tiny Linux computer that is designed to be small and inexpensive as possible. It can be connected to sensors and other devices that interface with the real world. At this workshop, each participant’s Raspberry Pi will be connected to a USB camera to capture data about the real world.

Do I get to keep the Raspberry Pi?

YES! Absolutely. You get to keep the Raspberry Pi, the camera, the power supply, the SD card, and the software. When you get home, all you need to do is connect your own keyboard, mouse, and monitor or TV (with an HDMI cable) and you’ll be ready to connect to your own Wi-Fi network and keep building!

The workshop cost includes:

• Raspberry Pi Model 3 with Case

• 2.5A Power Supply

• SD Card pre-loaded with Linux, OpenCV, and TensorFlow

• USB Camera+Microphone

What is TensorFlow?

TensorFlow is an advanced Deep Learning library that was created by Google. When properly trained, TensorFlow can be used to recognize objects in images.

What is OpenCV?

OpenCV is a toolkit for building Computer Vision applications. You will use OpenCV to capture video images from your Raspberry Pi and detect motion in those images.

Can I really use TensorFlow on a Raspberry Pi?

For sure! Although the Raspberry Pi is not powerful enough to train complex neural networks, it’s powerful enough to make predictions using pre-trained networks that Google has made available to the community. We’ll capture images with the Raspberry Pi and use these pre-trained neural networks to understand what the camera is seeing.

What Will I Build?

This workshop will include a tutorial on getting your Raspberry Pi working with TensorFlow and will include a demonstration of a smart camera application. After that, the possibilities are almost limitless.

Examples of potential projects (subject to your coding skills and your imagination):

• Smart Security Camera: Capture images with the video camera and raise an alarm (or send yourself a text message) if TensorFlow detects a person in the frame (but not, for example, if a dog or cat is detected).
  

• Pet Monitor: Do you leave your dog or cat at home when you’re at work or school? Set up your Raspberry Pi to observe your pet at home. You can even use OpenCV to detect when your pet enters a specific area!
  

• Garden Guardian: Point the camera out your window at the garden, and identify when a deer is eating your vegetables.
  

• Advanced Machine Learning (optional): If you’re already familiar with Machine Learning, you can use TensorFlow to perform dimensionality reduction on images, then classify their contents using familiar algorithms like Logistic Regression. For example, a past Galvanize graduate has used this approach to identify street signs for potential use in self-driving car applications.

Who is This Workshop For?

This workshop is for anyone who has an interest in using the Raspberry Pi to build internet-connected systems that interact with the real world. To get the most out of this workshop, it is helpful to understand the basics of Python programming and Linux.

Can I get help with my Raspberry Pi projects after the workshop?

For sure! We have Python community events called “Programming Night” here at Galvanize Seattle every week on Thursday evening. Whenever there’s a Programming Night on campus, you’re welcome to bring your Raspberry Pi back to campus, plug into a keyboard and monitor in the meetup space, and build together with members of the community.

Meet Your Instructor

​Miles Erickson, Galvanize Data Science Instructor

Miles is a Senior Data Scientist and Instructor in the Galvanize Data Science Immersive program. Before joining Galvanize, Miles has worked in systems and network engineering and transportation data analytics. Miles has taught college-level classes in IT infrastructure and security, and he has contributed to the development of widely recognized certification exams for server engineers. Miles is a graduate of the University of Washington and is a co-organizer of the local Python community in Seattle.

About Galvanize

Galvanize is the premiere dynamic learning community for technology. With campuses located in booming technology sectors throughout the country, Galvanize provides a community for each the following:

• Education – part-time and full-time training in web development, data science, and data engineering

• Workspace – whether you’re a freelancer, startup, or established business, we provide beautiful spaces with a community dedicated to support your company’s growth

• Networking – events in the tech industry happen constantly in our campuses, ranging from popular Meetups to multi-day international conferences

To learn more about Galvanize, visit galvanize.com.

To learn more about our data science initiatives, please visit: http://www.galvanize.com/data-science/

Disclaimer: TensorFlow, the TensorFlow logo and any related marks are trademarks of Google Inc. This Galvanize event is not endorsed by or affiliated with Google.